Is it a blessing or a curse for Gio Reyna that his new stage at Borussia Mönchengladbach has immediately taken on a new dimension?The departure of Gerardo Seoane, the second Bundesliga coach to be dismissed this season, has generated an atmosphere of uncertainty. The team had not achieved victories in ten league matches, nor scored a single goal in five games. Last season, the team could not overcome the trotting mode, finishing in a disappointing tenth place. The game was generally uninspiring.The sporting director and his team were responsible for Reyna’s arrival, an attractive signing for both parties. The American international needed a new stage to relaunch his career. Gladbach, historically, is a team for a playmaker, a “Spielmacher”.Reyna, for now, meets expectations. However, there is a danger: Will sports director Virkus survive if the bad results and irregular performances continue? A new sporting direction could mean a new way of playing, a “Spielidee”.Eugen Polanski, an insider, has been temporarily appointed as coach. Polanski knows the club well from his youth days.Polanski will have the opportunity to prove his worth, but the schedule he faces is complicated: Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Freiburg. Options are being evaluated in the market, including names like Pellegrino Matarazzo, Edin Terzic and Urs Fischer.If it were Fischer, for example, Reyna would have to adapt to a system with five defenders and a low block, which would not be the most suitable. Terzic, knows him from his time at Borussia Dortmund, where he saw Reyna more as a substitute than as a starter. Matarazzo, although he has American roots, would not focus on the needs of the national team, as his work is based on results.Polanski is, initially, good news for Reyna. Being an internal appointment, Polanski knows why and who signed Reyna. He is also aware that the Mönchengladbach team is limited and Reyna is one of the few bright spots in terms of potential.Scally could return for the match against Leverkusen. Although they are good friends, on the field they are rivals. Scally is the athletic counterpoint to Reyna’s talent. Both, despite their youth, must assume leadership roles in a club that lacks hierarchy.The motivation must be qualification for the World Cup. The return of Tim Kleindienst, after his injury, could improve the team’s performance. It will be interesting to see if Reyna can establish a good connection with one of the best strikers in German football, but he must also prove that he has matured and improved his work without the ball. A playmaker is one thing, a luxury player is something a team in the relegation zone cannot afford.It’s time for Reyna to write a new chapter in her story and help a club that desperately needs her inspiration and creativity. However, saying it is not the same as doing it.
