Despite bad luck for injuries in the final sprint, Gladbach is returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2016. Borussia seems to have found the trainer that suits her.
The Herzkasper feels particularly comfortable in the castle in the air. Because the nerves in football often fail due to exaggerated expectations, it was all the more important for coach Marco Rose to explain why exactly this had not been the case in Mönchengladbach and why he managed to get Borussia for her in the first season Qualify Champions League. “We didn’t get a heart attack when things didn’t go smoothly in between,” said Rose and found this reason for the serenity: “Max didn’t build castles in the air, but always clearly stated what was going on at Borussia and what wasn’t.”
The Max – that is sports director Max Eberl, an industry-known opponent of the castle in the air, who had declared “one-digit placements” as a season goal for years, even for champions league-compatible cadres, and who had sometimes received criticism for such tamed ambition. Although his freely formulated seasonal goals were achieved in the previous three seasons with the positions nine, nine and five, a dark, hidden desire to build a castle in the air might have come to light from his subconscious when he suddenly dismissed coach Dieter Hecking a year ago and hired the Leipzig-born Rose, 43, from Salzburg.
In the 2-1 win against Hertha, Lars Stindl, Jonas Hofmann and Breel Embolo come up trumps
The fact that Eberl held back with extroverted expectations now paid off in those moments when the team threatened to fail due to the speed and risk requirements of the new coach. In the Bundesliga you experienced a 3-3 home defeat against Leipzig early on, and in the Europa League a 0: 4 against Austrian Wolfsberger AC. After a home loss to Basaksehir Istanbul, Gladbach was eliminated in the Europa League group stage, and the DFB Cup also ended in the second round, which was also due to Lospech (away game at Borussia Dortmund).
The Herzkasper did not show up in Mönchengladbach even in days of failure. When three major players were injured on the home stretch of the season in Denis Zakaria, Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram, the attackers Lars Stindl, Jonas Hofmann and Breel Embolo triumphed all the more passionately. They led their team to the castle in the air that will not appear in any travel guides about the Lower Rhine in the future. The final 2-1 win against Hertha BSC Berlin by goals from Hofmann and Embolo was the celebrated final step. “It was an incredible team effort throughout the season,” said Rose, who did not want to highlight any player.
For Eberl, however, Rose was the decisive guide to happiness. “He fits us incredibly well and has excited everyone in no time.” You haven’t had such a coach since Lucien Favre. The Swiss had led Gladbach into the Champions League in the 2014/15 season with an even better point of the season and had given his successor André Schubert such a well-rehearsed team when he suddenly said goodbye in September 2015 that Gladbach once again stood up for 2016 qualified the Champions League. For the first time since a 0: 4 at FC Barcelona in December 2016, the Borussia are back in the premier class from autumn.
For Rose, who failed in the Champions League qualification phase with RB Salzburg in 2017 and 2018, this “extraordinary reward” gives no reason for self-adulation. “We have to stay humble,” he says, “we have to keep developing and never be satisfied.” Such a friendly demand for the squad planning hardly means that Gladbach will take excessive risks. They did not do this before Corona and will not do it afterwards. “We already want to improve the squad,” says Eberl, “but with the Champions League money we will also alleviate the financial losses due to Corona.” As reinforcements for Gladbach are currently traded: Marko Grujic from Liverpool, most recently loan player at Hertha BSC, Hannes Wolf from RB Leipzig and Linton Maina from Hannover 96.
Therefore, some places in the squad are now free. With the departure of the Brazilian Raffael, 35, nickname “Papi”, an era comes to an end at Borussia. The game designer came in 2013 and, under Favre, became the key player who helped to form a Champions League participant from a relegation candidate. The Herzkasper is also known to be alien to elegant Brazilian football. Raphael leaves Gladbach with a clear conscience and full of confidence in a great future for the club. So far, it is not clear where he is going.
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