In 48 Bundesliga seasons Bayern Munich have ended victorious a dominant 21 times. This is a statistic made all the more impressive by the fact Bayern didn’t even meet the criteria to enter the Bundesliga at its outset due to a previous lack of success on the field. It would be fair to say that ever since they made the breakthrough with promotion in 1965 it has more often than not been a two horse race of ‘Bayern plus one’. Now Borussia Dortmund are the one. But could there be another horse coming up the outside to re-enter the race after a long time in the pack? The other Borussia; the team from Monchengladbach. Not a horse at all, but some Foals.
Only three teams have managed to topple the Bavarians and have a Bundesliga golden era of their own. By ‘golden’ this means having the audacity to win two titles in a row. Without meaning to belittle achievements, these eras can be summed up as the Keegan years in Hamburg, the Sammer years in Dortmund and the Netzer-Vogts years in Monchengladbach.
Winning is a hard habit to quit but for most in Germany it seems a near impossible habit to start. Borussia Monchengladbach got the habit in the 1970s during a magical 8 year period when their attack-minded squad won 5 Bundesliga titles and impressively appeared in as many European finals. But perhaps the most impressive thing was that their chief rivals at the time were a particularly fine FC Bayern vintage being simultaneously lead by Franz Beckenbauer to three consecutive European Cups. Gladbach held their own though; winning far-flung affection from neutrals for their youthful exuberance and subsequently being christened ‘Die Fohlen’ (The Foals) – a nickname they retain today, despite their steady fall from grace.
Last season saw things take another turn for the worse as relegation looked a certainty – one win in 11 games to open the season and ten points at Christmas soon turned the debate into ‘Who will go down with Die Fohlen?’
That was until Swiss manager Lucien Favre arrived. Favre’s February debut, against Schalke 04, would set the tone for the revival – a match-winning goal from Marco Reus and a first home victory of the campaign. Thereafter Borussia Park was a fortress with six wins in seven games. Gladbach transformed from free-falling Foals to a well-oiled winning machine. The season culminated in a colossal final push with 13 points amassed from the last six games to ease Borussia into a relegation playoff with Bochum. Momentum was theirs, as was a 2-1 aggregate victory with Reus again playing the role of match winner.
The budding superstar midfielder would end the campaign with 11 goals from midfield and a well-earned first call up to the national squad. Signed in 2009 from Rot Weiss Ahlen to fill the creative void left on the wing by Marko Marin’s departure for Werder Bremen, Reus has since been unable to escape comparisons with his predecessor. This isn’t surprising as there is more than a passing physical resemblance. With rumoured suitors in Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Bolton and most recently Anzhi Makhachkala; Reus’s price-tag should now at the very least match that of Marin (€8.5m). Both players are comfortable on the ball and running at defenders. However, after a stellar end to the season Reus is now widely viewed as the better player, possessing more of a goal threat and team-first mentality when it comes to defensive responsibilities.
While Reus may be the obvious heir apparent to the Foal tradition he has an increasingly able looking supporting cast that, now liberated from relegation struggle, are continuing to thrive and growing in confidence by the week. A shock opening day 1-0 win over title favourites Bayern Munich and a respectable 1-1 draw with improving VfB Stuttgart set the scene for Gladbach to hit the heights on Friday night with a 4-1 thumping of Wolfsburg.
This game feels like a marker for the season ahead. After the perils of last season Monchengladbach now find themselves top of the table on goal difference but more importantly appear liberated from the defensive, counter-attacking game that has anchored them to the lower reaches of the division for too long. They can still pull a ‘backs to the wall’ performance from their repertoire when needed (Exhibit A: beating Bayern Munich) but now offer so much more.
At least temporarily free of relegation thoughts they are certainly beginning to look like a confident, European football chasing side. With inhibitions cast off they also appear to be the latest club to benefit from the continuing nationwide shift towards the fan-friendly 4-2-3-1 with Thorben Marx and Roman Neustadter laying the platform as the “double-six” for the likes of Igor de Camargo, Juan Arango, Raul Bobadilla and Reus to build from. Expect Die Fohlen to keep picking up the points.
This weekend throws up a tricky match in Gelsenkirchen against Schalke 04 before a less intimidating run against Kaiserlautern, Nurnberg and Freiburg. A tally of eight or nine points from those games is not unthinkable and would keep Gladbach among the early pace-setters, facing in the right direction. Turning the league into a three horse race is almost certainly a step too far this season; but staying in the race for the Europa League places is not.
After the miracle of last season I wouldn’t put anything past this team.
