Football Season Guide

In Dieter Hecking’s first season in charge it proved to be a case of so near and yet so far for Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Fohlenelf failed to convert a good first half of the season into a European spot which has now eluded the team for the last two seasons in a row. This season sees Hecking once again aiming for a top six spot in a league that is becoming increasingly competitive. Gladbach have had a reputation for attacking football since the 1980s and for significant parts of last season Hecking began to recreate that style of play. However the lack of a real centre forward really hurt the team with just one of the squad making it into double figure goals for the season – Thorgan Hazard. Meanwhile Brazilian striker Raffael started to show signs of his age and there was little back up from Josip Drmic and Raul Bobadilla. Clearly it was a top priority for the club to bring in a prolific centre forward and the hope is that Frenchman Alassane Plea will fill that void. He scored 16 league goals last year for Nice and is the only big signing this season. Aside from Plea the defensive options were added to with Andreas Poulsen and the experienced Michael Lang being added. While Keanan Bennetts adds pace on the wing. Overall the squad from last season has remained very stable with just Jannik Vestergaard and Vincenzo Grifo leaving from Hecking’s regularly used players. The reason for Hecking’s relatively conservative business in the transfer window comes down to the squad already being a very solid and balanced unit. At the heart of the team the midfield duo of Christoph Kramer and Denis Zakaria and defensive partners Matthias Ginter and Nico Elvedi are the engine room. In addition a youthful squad around that core means it is clear to see why there is some excitement ahead of the season. Injuries tore the team’s hoes apart last season, but if they can avoid them this year and should they find form a top six spot is very a possibility.