Jan-Moritz Lichte leaves next Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach with plenty to ponder

Borussia Mönchengladbach's recent loss did little to lift them from their disastrous start, leaving the club at the bottom of the Bundesliga. Interim trainer Jan-Moritz Lichte, however, managed to equip Eugen Polanski’s eventual permanent successor with more to consider than a one-match assignment might suggest.

Gladbach's 3-4 home defeat to Mainz 05 exposed many of the defensive weaknesses that cost Polanski his job. Borussia conceded four more goals, consistently struggled to defend their penalty area, and remain without points after four league matches. Yet, Lichte's tactical choices and player selections marked a significant departure from the system Borussia spent the summer trying to establish.

Most notably, the interim trainer immediately dropped the back-four system that the front office had effectively mandated.

Lichte moves away from Gladbach’s mandated back four

When sporting director Rouven Schröder kept Polanski after last season's relegation fight, it came with major structural changes. As detailed in GGFN’s 2026/27 Borussia Mönchengladbach tactical preview, Schröder revamped Polanski’s coaching staff, strengthened the squad, and directed the young trainer to abandon the back-three systems used for much of the previous campaign.

The revamped Gladbach spent pre-season focusing on 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations. The reset initially seemed promising, but three consecutive Bundesliga defeats ultimately ended Polanski’s tenure abruptly. Whatever tactical direction remained from the summer after Polanski's dismissal clearly didn't bind Lichte.

The 46-year-old instead fielded Kevin Diks, Jan Leszczynski, and Ko Itakura in a three-man defense against Mainz. Joe Scally and Lukas Ullrich played much higher on the wings, with Philipp Sander and Florian Neuhaus operating centrally behind Franck Honorat, Hugo Bolin, and lead striker Isac Lidberg. The outcome wasn't a defensive success, but Gladbach showed considerably more attacking drive.

Ullrich's advanced position proved especially effective. The Germany U21 international provided the initial shot that Neuhaus redirected for the 1-0 lead and later beat Anthony Caci before crossing for Lidberg's 59th-minute equalizer. Scally also contributed to the buildup of the second goal.

Gladbach finished with 21 shots and an xG of 3.36. Kevin Diks also hit the post from the penalty spot, and Borussia continued creating chances late into second-half stoppage time. Lichte suggested afterward that much of the tactical plan had worked as intended.

“Those are the questions the next coach should answer after watching this game,” Lichte stated when asked about his tactical changes. “For me, much of it worked precisely as I envisioned. The analytics department provided a good package on Mainz 05.

“I think we were well prepared, knew what to expect, and our players largely implemented it well for long stretches,” Lichte continued. “We ended up conceding, but not in the way we anticipated.”

Florian Neuhaus gets a surprise start

No personnel decision better highlighted Lichte's readiness to re-evaluate the existing hierarchy than Florian Neuhaus's return. The 29-year-old had recently fallen out of favor entirely before Polanski's dismissal. Neuhaus had only played a total of 43 minutes as a substitute in the final 13 matchdays of last season. Before Saturday, the 10-time capped Germany international hadn't featured in a competitive match and only made his first matchday squad the previous week.

Lichte brought the former German international straight from the stands into the starting lineup. Neuhaus partnered Sander in central midfield and took just 11 minutes to justify the risk, first helping initiate the attack down the left before making the decisive touch on Ullrich’s shot. He remained heavily involved thereafter.

Neuhaus set up Bolin for another first-half chance and came close with a powerful long-range effort shortly before Gladbach's second goal. He received applause from the Borussia-Park crowd when Wael Mohya substituted him in the 64th minute.

“The reasoning behind Flo’s appearance was that we as a coaching team reviewed our options,” Lichte explained when asked about the decision. “And decided Flo was the right player for the situation we are in and the system we wanted to use.

“Of course, it was nice for us that he scored the 1-0,” Lichte added. “And he settled into the game well. He implemented a lot of what we wanted from him, and I am very satisfied with him.”

Lichte leaves next Gladbach coach with some ideas

None of this alters the fact that Gladbach conceded another four goals. The switch back to a back three did not resolve the organizational issues that troubled Polanski before his dismissal. Mainz equalized after catching Borussia poorly out of position from a simple throw-in. Eric Martel later restored the visitors' lead following another poorly defended set-piece. Danny da Costa's eventual 4-2 goal came again after Gladbach failed to properly clear an Amiri corner.

Lichte, knowing this would be his only BMG press conference, understandably declined to offer an extensive diagnosis immediately after full-time. He will not have the chance to develop these ideas himself. Gladbach sporting director Rouven Schröder confirmed before the Mainz match that the club's search for Polanski's permanent successor is nearing its end and a preferred candidate has emerged.

Schröder declined to name the coach but ruled out Christian Titz and Horst Steffen, while Kicker reports that former Cologne trainer Lukas Kwasniok is also not under consideration. Gladbach is instead seeking an experienced coach proven capable of handling difficult situations and the pressure associated with a traditional club with significant expectations.

“The best excuse is always that I haven’t looked at it yet,” Lichte said when asked about the goals conceded. “It's not really an excuse. I just haven't taken a proper look yet. For some reason, the fourth goal is fresh in my mind. We were simply not organized. The opponent won the duels. When you lose duels in the box, the chances of conceding a goal are higher.”

The defensive work, therefore, remains an obvious area needing improvement, particularly within Gladbach's penalty area. Lichte, however, leaves behind more than just another defeat.

One of the interim trainer's primary aims was to change Borussia's response to setbacks, as the team repeatedly collapsed after adverse moments in the opening three matchdays. That changed against Mainz. Gladbach responded to Diks' missed penalty by equalizing two minutes later and continued to push even after falling behind 4-2.

There were tactical ideas too. The return to a back three generated considerably more attacking activity, Ullrich looked dangerous from a higher starting position, Hugo Bolin played slightly deeper, and Scally occupied an interesting semi-midfield role. Neuhaus immediately showed that his exclusion didn't need to be permanent.

None of these adjustments solved Gladbach's problems. However, they provided the incoming coach with something tangible to work with.

As Lichte himself stated, these are now questions for the next coach to answer.