Borussia Mönchengladbach can breathe a sigh of relief. Ahead of the derby against 1. FC Köln, the Foals won 4-0 at St. Pauli. Eugen Polanski remains level-headed and analytical.

It was an impressive breakthrough for Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Foals won 4-0 away at FC St. Pauli’s Millerntor Stadium. Haris Tabakovic scored twice in the first half (15th, 40th), and in the second half, substitutes Shuto Machino (75th) and Oscar Fraulo added to the tally (80th).

Eugen Polanski was relieved: “We are of course very, very happy with the result and how the game went. Congratulations to my players and everyone in my coaching team. The game went exactly as we had imagined.” The “notorious match plan” worked out perfectly.

Polanski praised the team at the post-match press conference: “We put in a really good performance over the 95 minutes today. Defensively, we didn’t allow them almost anything.” The substitutes also made an impact. Machino and Fraulo both came on as substitutes, worked hard both offensively and defensively, and rewarded themselves with goals.

“It speaks volumes about the character of the team, about the character of the players, to work exactly there,” Polanski enthused. “To show the coach again: Hey, I’m here. It’s extremely important that we leave our hearts on the pitch and give 100 percent.” He seems to be able to reach the team.

The 39-year-old emphasizes: “We’ve made good progress in recent weeks, which was evident in the last two games. For me, it was already evident before that.” Something is growing together, Polanski emphasizes. Nevertheless, Rouven Schröder did not give a job guarantee to “Sky.” Schröder evaded the question about Polanski’s future. The focus is first on the derby against the big rivals, 1. FC Köln: “You can see that Eugen is reaching the team. Now we’re concentrating on the derby,” said Schröder after the game. Polanski also looked straight ahead again. “It’s logical that we want to take advantage of the momentum right before the derby. The fans don’t need to rally us. The week is clear: this is something special for this club, for the fans, we’re doing this for the fans.”

Next Saturday evening (November 8, 6:30 p.m.), the big Rhine derby between Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln will finally take place.