“I don’t need to be a coach in the Bundesliga or 2.Bundesliga to be happy with my life”, Andre Schubert stated when he was announced as Borussia Mönchengladbach’s interim manager after the much loved and admired Lucien Favre had stepped down from his after a horrid start to the season which saw Die Fohlen lose all five of their opening Bundesliga games. Usually, coaches express their delight at being appointed in a new position, promising the heavens to an expectant fan-base while expressing the hope that they will be there for some time yet.
However, from his unconventional opening comments to his unexpected successes so far, it is clear Schubert is no ordinary manager. After his initial Midas touch steadied the ship, the calls to make his appointment permanent only grew in volume, with influential midfielder Granit Xhaka even stating “There’s no reason why he shouldn’t stay. Whoever says ‘that’s not a good fit’ has no clue about football.” But in typically unique fashion, Schubert came up with a gem of a quote, musing that “We are all interim coaches. I just don’t have a contract”. The 44-year-old was an unlikely, and slightly reluctant, hero.
But after a scarcely believable turnaround in form, ‘Gladbach had absolutely no choice other than to hand their new star coach the role permanently. Süddeutsche Zeitung described this coming together between club and coach as a “surprising affair that’s not dissipated into thin air but become a solid thing – despite expectations, despite a bit of fear – little by little” – A “wilde Ehe”, or ‘wild marriage’, as German football expert Raphael Honigstein perfectly summed it up.
An instant success
After Schubert took over, Die Fohlen went on a run of ten games unbeaten in the Bundesliga, winning eight and drawing only two, while improving their European performances in the Champions League significantly. Some have even gone as far as to claim that, had Schubert been in charge from the very start, ‘Gladbach could even have been in with a shout of qualifying from their group, or at least doing enough fall back into the Europa League.
Finding themselves as high as third in the league, ‘Gladbach’s run hadn’t only been a result of a favourable run of fixtures, with Die Fohlen beating both VfL Wolfsburg and Schalke, while dismantling Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 and Hertha Berlin 4-1. What makes the result against Die Alte Dame even more impressive is the fact that the capital club is currently third in the Bundesliga, themselves experiencing something of a renaissance.
However, Schubert’s crowning glory came against Bayern Munich, in which he and his team proved they have the ability to be the real deal with a dominant 3-1 win – The first loss of the season for the Bavarians. Far from being a smash-and-grab performance, Die Fohlen played brilliant football, with the likes of Xhaka, Lars Stindl, Raffael and Fabian Johnson completely transformed from the forlorn figures that struggled in Farve’s final games into players confident enough to stand toe to toe with one of Europe’s giants and come out on top.
"He's a motivator and can get a bit loud before matches, but then he quietens down again and this is what the team needed after a difficult start to the season”, Xhaka stated before the Bayern game. That is the key – Schubert managed to instil a confidence into this ‘Gladbach team that they can not only compete with, but beat the best by pressing all the right buttons in his motivational approach. In hindsight, it may have been a case of the players having ceased to respond to Favre’s methods, needing someone more assertive to jolt them back into action. His Swiss midfielder also foreshadowed their win over the previously invincible Bavarians: "Their run has got to come to an end sooner or later and there's got to be one team who comes along and beats them, so why should that not be us?”
Not everything has been perfect
Ironically, after ending Bayern’s run, Die Fohlen saw their own upward spiral being cruelly stalled. ‘Gladbach were hammered 5-0 by Leverkusen in a game which brutally exposed their shortcomings and the inexperience of their manager. Schubert had been so successful because of his pro-active approach, playing a high defensive line and pestering opponents as much as possible in order to make playing as difficult as possible for the opposition. However, against Die Werkself, ‘Gladbach dropped noticeably deeper, inviting the pressure from Leverkusen’s attack – A fatal error.
Roger Schmidt is well known for his high intensity, high pressing approach, which leaves his side vulnerable against teams that counter-press and manage to survive that first flood of pressing players. As we have seen on numerous occasions throughout the season, their defence can be unlocked with only a few passes when that happens. But Schubert’s uncharacteristically cautious approach backfired badly, allowing Stefan Kießling and Javier Hernandez to run riot and deal ‘Gladbach’s confidence a massive blow.
This was apparent in the 4-3 DFB Pokal loss to Werder Bremen, where Die Fohlen took the lead but proceeded to collapse defensively to go crashing out of a tournament that many though they could have a real opportunity of winning. An explanation for this sudden drop-off in form comes down to fatigue and a lack of energy – ‘Gladbach have had a sizable injury list for the whole campaign, and have relied on basically an unchanged starting XI through the entirety of their ten-game unbeaten run.
It’s telling that for the Leverkusen game, Raffael and Johnson were left out of the team due to being in need of a rest and against Bremen the whole team seemed lethargic and heavy-legged, particularly in the second half. One feels that the Winterpause cannot come soon enough for a team that has given everything on all three fronts and has a battery running on empty.
They turned it around, again, however
But just to illustrate further what a see-saw campaign it has been, everything was summed up in their last game of 2015. The thrilling 3-2 win over a resilient Darmstadt side saw Die Fohlen go behind early, lose Xhaka to a red card (His third of the season, already), fight back to turn it around and take the lead before conceding a soft goal, only to snatch a late win. The result gave them that coveted fourth place in the Bundesliga heading into the new year, while also surely giving their supporters heart palpitations in the process. There is never a dull moment when ‘Gladbach are involved, and a real case can be made that they are the most entertaining team to watch in the league.
Overall, the Hinrunde has been a massive success considering the fact that ‘Gladbach started the season with five consecutive defeats, and the horizon looking bleak. Andre Schubert has managed to turn things around – And despite a late dip in form, Die Fohlen are still well in the running for a top four finish. But it will still be of grave concern how everything started to fall to pieces at the back towards the end, doubtlessly leaving fans in the strange position of not quite knowing what to make of what their team showed them throughout the first half of the season.
We may know now that Schubert, in fact, doesn’t have mystical powers, but with a number of players set to return from injury for the Rückrunde along with the rest of the squad after a well-deserved rest, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Borussia Mönchengladbach back to their very best when the Bundesliga action resumes.
Interesting times lie ahead, and you can bet that it won’t be dull for a single second.