Borussia Mönchengladbach hit by a wave of muscle injuries
Blessin is looking for the right training load, with only four players called up by their national teams while the club fights relegation.
Borussia Mönchengladbach are fighting relegation and, on top of that, dealing with a striking run of muscle injuries. According to Sportschau, coach Alexander Blessin has had to train with very small squads: on Monday only 18 outfield players took part in the session and on Tuesday 16. Just four players have been called up by their national teams during the break: Wael Mohya, Ko Itakura, Fabio Chiarodia and Mathieu Nguefack.
Blessin wants to raise his squad's physical level with targeted load peaks, but sports scientist Moritz Anderten from the Sporthochschule Köln warns that trying to catch up on fitness in the middle of a relegation battle can overload the muscles. A small muscle fibre tear can heal quickly, while a larger tear of the muscle bundles can take several months.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia DortmundSaturday 21 November · 09:30Kick-off, where to watch and line-ups →How Borussia Mönchengladbach are doing
Latest results
Borussia Mönchengladbach: we’ll remind you before every match
An hour before every match we email you the kick-off time and where to watch, and the final score at full time. Free.
Make your predictions for LaLiga, the Champions League and more, and compete with your friends on TuFutbolero.
Sign up