Hofmann stakes his claim as Gladbach win Battle of Borussias

The theme of the looming World Cup was difficult to ignore on this chilly November night in western Germany.

'Boycott Qatar 2022 – FIFA Mafia' was the unmistakable message from Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Nord Kurve (north stand) just ahead of a World Cup in a country whose own tournament ambassador this week described being gay as "damage in the mind".

Stadia built by exploited migrant workers; many thousands of whom never returned home, mostly back to Nepal, but also India, Bangladesh and Kenya. Whatever the exact death toll, this World Cup will always be a bloody stain on those in charge of a game that many millions adore around the world.

Nonetheless, this World Cup will press ahead just as Russia’s did four years ago – both awarded at the same time.

Fortunately, the start of the final Bundesliga weekend of 2022 was a festival of football. This Battle of the Borussias was box office: nice goals, missed chances, big tackles, slapstick errors and a VAR intervention all played a part in this six-goal thriller.

Gladbach coach Daniel Farke enjoyed it too: "It feels good to go into the break with such a sense of achievement," he said in the post-game press conference. "It was a top evening for us. That was an advertisement for soccer." 

 

Hofmann for hire

In the case of a few Germany players, this was a final chance to advertise themselves to a watching Hansi Flick for a starting berth vs. Japan on November 23.

Youssoufa Moukoko, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle, Julian Brandt and Jonas Hofmann all started; none of whom, to varying degrees, can assert with great confidence that their place in Germany’s starting XI is 100% assured.

This was a night when Hofmann did the most to solidify his claim to start Germany’s opener in less than two weeks. His fourth-minute first-time finish was executed without breaking stride, a timely reminder of his attacking instincts and why, in a Germany team that sometimes struggles to convert dominance into goals, Hofmann could be a compelling option for Germany.

This was a rousing performance by Gladbach, with Ramy Bensebaini's bullet header, Marcus Thuram's solo run-and-finish and Kouadio Kone's slam into the bottom corner ensuring a big night for Gladbach. On another night, Hofmann could have walked away with at least another goal - VAR vaporised it - and an assist to his name too, but he delayed slightly and Thuram couldn't quite flick it in. Hofmann is nimble, quick, has an engine, is direct and is an outlet. His eye for goal could be a golden asset for a team beset by injuries in attack.

Stindl's reminder, Brandt's touch of class

Hofmann wasn’t alone in making a positive impression. Lars Stindl was the perfect link to the Gladbach No. 23 and his assist for Hofmann was majestic. He provided the assist for Thuram too, from a deeper position, with the Frenchman rounding Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel. Stindl is a handy player and, at even at 34, has still got it.

Brandt, who is less of an assister and more of an occasional scorer, is something of an enigma for club and country, a player with technique better than most and a touch of class about him. He can score but struggles for consistency and spends a lot of his time sweaty, crimson-cheeked and continually wiping his mop of blonde hair out of his eyes.

But somewhere within, he has quality, and the elegance he showed to bring Jude Bellingham’s sublime pass under his spell was a demonstrationo f that, before a neat pivot and shot into the bottom corner made it 1-1. Dortmund should have been back in the game but just couldn't deal with Gladbach.

This was a night to savor for the home side; a night when Brandt showed what he can do, Stindl showed what he could have done, and Hofmann showed what he hopes he can do.

Edited by: Matt Pearson