Alexander Blessin's Homecoming Victory: Gladbach Ends Losing Streak
Alexander Blessin walked back into Stuttgart as a son of the city. He left as the coach who finally stopped Borussia Mönchengladbach’s slide.
On a tense Friday night at the MHPArena, Gladbach clawed their way to a 3-2 comeback win over VfB Stuttgart, their first Bundesliga victory of the season and the end of a six-match losing run. For the 53-year-old on the touchline, born just down the road, it was a breakthrough wrapped in personal history.
Family members watched from the stands as his team refused to fold. When the final whistle went, Blessin didn’t head straight for the dressing room. He climbed into the tribune, up to his relatives, sharing a brief, private moment in a stadium that had once been part of his childhood landscape.
Yet when the cameras and microphones closed in, he pushed the emotion to one side.
"I'm simply happy for the team," he said. "We've had six games [without a win]. Granted, I've only been involved in two of them, but you could naturally sense the gloomy mood a little."
The gloom had been real. Six league defeats to open the campaign would have sent Gladbach into unwanted Bundesliga history. The win in Stuttgart stopped that statistic in its tracks, but not the reality of the table: Blessin’s side are still bottom, still in trouble, still with a season to salvage rather than celebrate.
"To be perfectly honest, I really don't care where the points come from," he added. "You can believe me on that. It's nice that the family is here and that we can celebrate together. But what matters for us as a club is getting these three points."
The setting made it feel like a storybook night. The messaging was anything but romantic.
No time for a homecoming lap
Any notion that Blessin might turn the occasion into a brief family retreat was quickly shut down. With his home only a short drive away, a reporter wondered if the coach would use the chance to stay in Stuttgart a little longer, to enjoy a rare pause with his loved ones.
The answer came back sharp.
"You do know that we have another cup game on Tuesday, right?" he replied, referring to the DFB-Pokal tie against Karlsruher SC.
The schedule leaves no room for nostalgia. Gladbach will stay in Stuttgart overnight, then fly back the following day. No extra rest, no reward day, no soft landing after a hard-fought win.
"We have three days to prepare for Karlsruhe," Blessin explained. "To produce the same performance again, we need good preparation. That's why there won't be a day off."
It was a line that cut through any lingering sentiment. A first victory, in his hometown, with his family in the stands – all of it pushed behind the blunt reality of a club still staring up at 17 other teams.
Blessin’s message was clear: the emotional homecoming is over. The real work, the fight to drag Gladbach off the bottom and out of danger, has only just begun.
