On 20 September, Borussia Monchengladbach fans were shocked to find that much loved manager Lucien Favre was standing down on his own terms, despite the protests of the club.
Sporting director Max Eberl said in a statement: “before, we remained certain that Lucien was the right man for the job and that we’d be able to overcome the difficult situation we face on the park with him in charge.” Before his decision, Die Fohlen had lost five-straight league matches, sat rock bottom of the league and failed to play with the counter-attacking identity that guided them last season.
The next day, under-23s coach Andre Schubert was named as the club’s interim manager, appointed for “the coming matches”. No time frame, no word of a permanent position. His reserves side had started strongly, sitting in third place after nine matches of the Regionalliga West and this new position represented a big step forward in terms of his managerial career.
But Schubert has so far hit the ground running in every sense of the word; four wins on the trot in the Bundesliga has dragged the club back up into 10th place and only three points outside of the top four. While there is still work to be done and all can see that clearly, Schubert is slowly bringing back an identity to this side and using it to build confidence that is so desperately needed.
Schubert is also fiercely defensive of his charges, most notably during a recent exchange with United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who sent Gladbach winger Fabian Johnson home from the national team camp. During USMNT’s extra time defeat to Mexico in the Confederations Cup play-off, Johnson requested to be substituted, complaining of muscle tightness in his thigh. However Klinsmann reacted angrily, publicly lashing the player and claiming that he was “not in fact injured“.
The German then sent Johnson home before their next match against Costa Rica, but Schubert reacted angrily in the press, jumping to the defence of Johnson, arguing that it is the responsibility of the player and the team to look after a player, who may be on the verge of a more serious injury. Schubert started Johnson in the following 5-1 win over Frankfurt and the American played a full game.
The new manager has had a habit so far of sticking to a relatively similar lineup in most games, however upon rotation, they are almost always the same changes each time. A rotation of Harvard Nordtveit-Mahmoud Dahoud in centre-midfield, Andre Hahn-Ibrahima Traore on the right, Thorgan Hazard-Fabian Johnson on the left and it keeps the side fluid. Understanding is a huge part of any team, and Schubert allows it to flourish naturally between everyone. One glaring omission from most of his teamsheets so far has been Josip Drmic, with the Swiss striker yet to make an impact at his new club after joining in the summer.
Schubert’s preferred forward combination of Raffael and Lars Stindl has played its part in keeping Drmic out however, as the two have flourished under Schubert’s tutelage, with Raffael involved in eight of the 14 league goals scored under the new man. The pressing game run by the two of them, often supported by one of the wide men to create a three-man press, has been effective at unsettling opposition, as opposed to last season’s tactic of dropping back to settle into three banks of lateral pressing.
[interaction id=”562992ad47771a9960180ab9”]
The change in tactics has brought with it that dramatic overhaul of results, and the Foals will be looking for five in a row this weekend as they welcome Schalke 04 to Borussia Park. The corresponding fixture last season saw goals from Raffael, Hahn and now-Wolfsburg forward Max Kruse crown Gladbach 4-1 winners as they marched onto the Champions League. That is unlikely to be the scene this time around, with the two sides on a more even keel and just a few days after this match, they will meet once more in the DFB-Pokal, meaning that man management is going to be key for both Schubert and his opposite number Andre Breitenreiter.
In the past, Gladbach have won 34 of the 84 meetings between these two sides, with Schalke wins accounting for 25, and draws the same number. Schalke sit in third spot on the Bundesliga table, seven points ahead of Gladbach, and if Schubert’s men can cut that to just four with a win, then the seemingly Mission Impossible from a few weeks ago will be well and truly on track.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
