Borussia Mönchengladbach started the season as the third best team in the league but quickly found the going tough and were the first to part company with their coach. Lucien Favre’s three and a half year stay at the club was ended at the conclusion of match day 5 with the team bottom of the league after some truly shocking performances. The coach who had taken them to the Champions League simply ran out of steam and the club found new impetus with Andre Schubert. Under the new coach results improved immediately and the club rocketed up to fifth place in just five rounds of football. It was no surprise as the squad at Schubert’s disposal has plenty of talent but he was coaching with the expectation that he would eventually hand over to a permanent coach. But with results across all competitions being solid the club took the decision to keep Schubert who will start next season as the Gladbach coach. He almost managed to get his side into third spot from a tough Champions League group while progress into the last 16 in the cup was very smooth. But after Christmas his side lost steam and results varied hugely. At home Gladbach were almost unbeatable with just Dortmund coming away with the three points in the second half of the season. Away though Schubert’s side simply could not win and ended the term with their first away win in 12 games. A cup exit to struggling side Werder Bremen was also unexpected suggesting that both Schubert as a coach and his squad have some development to do over the course of the summer and into next season. Gladbach have built a squad based on exciting counter attacking football which is in the DNA of the club. There were plenty of good performers this year including on loan defender Andreas Christensen who solidified his place in the starting team after injuries to first choice defenders. The midfield is the real powerhouse of the squad though and here Mahmoud Dahoud had a fine first year in the first team squad while Lars Stindl also adapted well to his new surroundings. Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka was also excellent and has been snatched up by Premier League side Arsenal for next season. However Raffael was the player of the season, ending the campaign as top scorer and leading the club forward in many matches. He will be one of the key players for the squad next season as they try to keep improving.
