Gladbach ran City ragged despite losing in the Champions League last season and defeated Guardiola’s Bayern in the Bundesliga.
On the face of it, a team sitting 13th in the Bundesliga with just two wins in their last 10 fixtures in all compeitions seems unlikely to pose too much of a threat to Manchester City’s hopes of extending their Champions League journey under Pep Guardiola.
Yet, such is their inconsistency, one of European football’s great apprentices, Andre Schubert, could sweep aside the Catalan master on Wednesday night in a flurry of high-pressing and rapid transitions. They could also collapse under the pressure and surrender meekly, just as they did in their 4-0 hammering at the Etihad in September. Unlucky against Barcelona, excellent in Celtic, which Gladbach side is going to turn up is anyone’s guess.
But Schubert already has the scalp of Guardiola on his short CV, and Gladbach have a few secret weapons to turn this group stage clash into a surprisingly equal conflict.
Oscar Wendt
If the 3-5-2 system still seems rather shiny and sleek in the Premier League thanks to Chelsea’s modern-day interpretation of an old classic, Monchengladbach learned the chords a long time ago. Andre Schubert’s side alter between a three and four man defensive line based on the opposition and, having witnessed Pablo Zabaleta endure a torrid afternoon against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the former under-23 coach will have no qualms about releasing Wendt at a prone City backline.
The 31-year-old Swede is one of the more understated members of Gladbach’s talented squad, with his ambidexterity allowing him to cut inside and curl towards the far corner with his right or drift beyond on the overlap. If Wendt isn’t a name often mentioned in the average English household, he’s no stranger to Pep Guardiola, whipping home a beauty in Gladbach’s 3-1 triumph over Bayern last season.
Lars Stindl
While skilful centre-forward Rafael and explosive winger Thorgan Hazard are the most obvious weapons in Schubert’s armoury, it’s the subtlety and intelligence of Lars Stindl that makes the North Rhine outfit tick. Questions were asked of the 28-year-old’s suitability when he arrived from perennial strugglers Hannover in 2015, but Stindl responded in style in a debut campaign so impressive that international recognition appeared inevitable.
A comparatively quiet start to the current campaign means Joachim Low is yet to pick up the phone, however, but a make-or-break Champions League clash would be the ideal time for Stindl to get back to his best. Whether carving open opposition defences with perfectly weighted through-balls or drifting intelligently into shooting positions, City’s midfield shield will have to be on guard. Stindl’s precise volley had Joe Hart beaten in the group phase last season, and Claudio Bravo will need to be alert to ensure he doesn’t suffer similar punishment this time around.
Fabian Johnson
From an adventurous right-back into a relentless left-winger, Schubert transformed USA international Johnson into a one-man steam train of an attacker upon taking the reins from Lucian Favre early last season. The 28-year-old is perhaps the prime exponent of Gladbach’s high-tempo blueprint, while his powerful bursts of energy caused City no end of problems as he ran Manuel Pellegrini’s defence ragged last season at the Etihad.
Guardiola’s obsession with stopping counter attacks at source was borne out of the Bundesliga’s famously end-to-end nature, but even he was powerless to prevent Johnson rampaging through his side in December last season. It will be interesting to see whether he takes special measures to avoid a repeat scenario this time around.
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