As Borussia Mönchengladbach head coach Eugen Polanski hinted at his pre-match press conference, it was simply time for long-injured BMG captain Tim Kleindienst to return to action this weekend. Polanski specifically noted that he wasn’t concerned with the opinion of the club medical staff. Kleindienst just absolutely needed to set foot on a Bundesliga pitch. 

As it turned out, Polanski used Kleindienst in the most low-risk fashion possible. The 30-year-old entered a match long-since decided against his former club 1. FC Heidenheim. With four minutes of second half injury time added, Kleindienst checked in at 90+1. The German national team striker still managed to get four ball touches in. 

“Just being back on the pitch is a positive thing,” Kleindienst remarked in the mixed zone afterwards. “I thank the Heidenheim fans for the applause. I know it’s a bit cheesy, but it touched me deeply.“

Kleindienst naturally knows that it will take quite some time before he’s ready for more sustained minutes after his major knee surgery. Moreover, there’s been a most unexpected development on the team Kleindienst hasn’t represented since late last spring. 

On loan Hoffenheim striker Haris Tabakovic – considered a sure bet to be a total flop for the foals – initially proved all his detractors correct with two terrible performances in his first two fixtures. It wasn’t long, however, before the Bosnian international began making the most of the few scoring opportunities accorded him. 

Tabakovic – who scored again in Saturday’s win – has now netted seven league goals. Only England star striker Harry Kane and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jonathan Burkardt have netted more Bundesliga tallies this season. Kleindienst was quick to congratulate his fellow late-bloomer in his post-match comments.

“Haris is doing an amazing job,” Kleindienst noted. “I hope he can ride this wave and keep it up. I need another month-and-a-half to two months. I’m sure I’ll be coming on as a substitute a few times at first. Competitive football is tough. There are still a few things I need to work on. But I have no problem coming off the bench at the moment.”