Gregor Kobel: Gladbach defeat a “big disappointment”

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel spoke after his side’s loss to Borussia Mönchenglabach this past Friday, stating that the result was a big disappointment.

With Borussia Dortmund’s final competitive game of 2022 now behind them, the dust is finally beginning to settle on what has been a rather abysmal week in the Bundesliga for Die Schwarzgelben. A loss to VFL Wolfsburg on Tuesday was followed by a 4-2 drubbing at the hands of Borussia Mönchenglabach which saw the wheels come off completely in what was a shambolic display.

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was very vocal about his side’s shortcomings after the game. In an interview with ESPN, Kobel tried to explain what went wrong, pointing to the fact that BVB conceded two very easy goals early on.

"“We conceded two easy goals, that’s it, and with the ball we had our chances. We were playing alright I thought, but in the second half it was also not enough. We conceded a goal one minute after the break and then we couldn’t score any goal in 45 minutes so, it was just bad football.”"

Kobel was then asked about whether or not he felt any sort of urgency from his teammates to defend, to which he responded very honestly, stating that Borussia Dortmund’s defending was woefully sub-par on the evening:

"“This season I think we are playing a really good defensive season [compared to last season]. I always say after every game that my defenders do a great job to put me in good positions. But [against Gladbach] we need to say how it is, it was not a good day. We conceded two easy goals…it was not a good game.”"

Gregor Kobel’s critique mirrors a lot about what has been said about this BVB side, even going back as far as last season. While there have been some slight improvements, there have been many games where it seemed like Kobel was single-handedly making sure that they weren’t conceding. Kobel’s words strike home the point that the players need to take a look at themselves and up their game to better protect their goalkeeper, something that they seemed incapable of doing against Gladbach.

Kobel was also asked to share his opinion about what he thought was causing BVB to look so disjointed, but the Swiss international did not have a clear answer to share. He did highlight that the team must look at themselves over the course of this break and try to find a remedy to their sputtering form. One certainly hopes that they are able to come together and find a solution as their season certainly hangs in the balance.

Borussia Dortmund go into the winter break sitting in sixth place, not something the club expected when the season started. Rectifying this issue will take a lot of hard work so that they can come back in January with fresh ideas and enthusiasm to ensure they maintain a competitive level of play and fight for the silverware still available to them.