The year 2022 represented Borussia Monchengladbach in the name of change. The traditional club decided in the summer to change course, which includes a return to its strength. The transition isn’t going well, but a look at the 2023 football year bodes well for a successful season.
The year 2022, which is drawing to a close, got off to a turbulent start for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Before the end of the year, the colts suffered four defeats in their last five Bundesliga games with a goal difference of 4:17, but on January 7, 2022 worries vanished for a moment. Gladbach celebrated a 2-1 win at Bayern, which raised hopes for a successful second half of the season, but following successive defeats by Bayer Leverkusen (1-2) and Union Berlin (1-2), the club has received bad news. Max Eberl, who has been active as a player, youth manager and sports director since 1999, announced January 28th he said his immediate goodbye in tears, he was mentally exhausted and needed to step away from professional football, the 49-year-old said.
Virkus takes over Eberl’s inheritance
At first, those in charge announced an external solution, but on February 15th Previous youth director Roland Virkus followed in Eberl’s footsteps and was promoted to sporting director. The challenge was huge, Borussia underperformed and, in 13th place, were just four points clear of the relegation zone. At the Virkus premiere, Gladbach conceded a 0:6 in Dortmund, two weeks after a 2:0 lead against 17th table. Stuttgart out of hand and lost the game 2:3. To the 5. March Gladbach was at his lowest ebb, but Virkus was strengthened Adi Hütter, who has been criticized for months and ruled out a mid-season coaching change.
Hütter resigns after relegation
Confidence in the Austrian, bought from Eintracht Frankfurt for 7.5 million euros before the start of the season, should bear fruit. Borussia have won five of their last nine Bundesliga games, only losing in the derby against 1. FC Köln (1:3) and finished the 2021/22 season in 10th place with 45 points. against 1899 Hoffenheim am May 14th following her farewell, both parties had previously mutually agreed on a separation.
Hütter’s successor: Favre becomes Farke
Speculation about the new manager quickly gathered pace and one name came into focus: Lucien Favre. The successful former coach (2011 – 2015) is expected to take over a second time, at the general meeting of the 30 May However, Virkus had bad news to announce: Favre decided against a repeat tenure at Mönchengladbach after several talks and returned to OGC Nice instead. An alternative was quickly found 4. June Gladbach announced the engagement of Daniel Farke. The former Borussia Dortmund youth coach and head coach of English second division club Norwich City symbolized the desired transition from pressing to possession football, which was reintroduced in the sense of the “Borussia route” desired by Virkus .
Virkus keeps the team together
In addition to the personable and authentic-looking coach, contract extensions of top performers Alassane Plea (5. August) and Jonas Hofmann (10. August) further euphoria among the fans, and after Matthias Ginter no other regular player left the club. The search for newcomers was tough due to limited financial headroom, but the transfers of Ko Itakura, Julian Weigl, Nathan Ngoumou and Oscar Fraulo were successful.
Roller coaster ride in the Bundesliga
The start of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season was positive, Gladbach picked up seven points from their first three games and celebrated the 27. August a point won at Bayern (1:1), mainly due to Yann Sommer and his 19 saves. However, a roller coaster ride developed from the air: Farke and his family suffered the first setbacks against Mainz 05 (0:1) and Werder Bremen (1:5), but RB Leipzig (3 :0) and 1. FC Köln ( 5th :2) impressively defeated. But on the October 18th Borussia lost the cup early, Darmstadt 98 won 2-1 in the second round. In the last five games before the end of the year, there were defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt (1:3), Union Berlin (1:2) and VfL Bochum (1:2), after Farke publicly criticized his players for the first time: “I found myself discouraged, I found us lazy to walk, mentally I didn’t find us fast at all. i found it […] too lazy to get into duels, too lazy to secure depth,” the 46-year-old was by sports buzzer quoted.
Between sporting ambitions and uncertainty
Just three days after the Bochum game, Borussia Dortmund appeared as guests in Mönchengladbach and Farke’s criticisms paid off. In a wild game, Gladbach Borussia led 3:2 at halftime, in the 46th minute Manu Kone scored the decisive 4:2. With 22 points from 15 games, Farke-Elf are in eighth place in the table, the European Cup places just three points away. The starting position, combined with the relaxed personal situation, bodes well for a good year 2023. A single-digit place in the table is in the possibility, with a little luck they could even return to Europe. However, the future of some top performers is bleak. The contracts of Yann Sommer, Ramy Bensebaini and Marcus Thuram are expiring, the latter should start on a free transfer. From a sporting and economic point of view there is a risk of a serious setback, but Borussia Mönchengladbach will see this step backwards as an attempt to take two steps forward and create a new framework which should initiate a return to the old strength.
