After just one year's absence, Borussia Mönchengladbach have made it back into the Bundesliga. Two years ago, they were relegated after they finished in last place with only 26 points. But the 2007-08 season was one of superlatives.
In the 2. Bundesliga, Gladbach were the class act. They had the most wins (18), the fewest losses (4) and scored the most goals (71). The defence was also superb, letting in just 38 goals — the second best in the league.
Staying up is the aim
In most games, coach Jos Luhukay's team dazzled fans with all-out offensive football, reminding some of their glory days of the seventies. You can measure the euphoria: so far, 26 thousand season tickets have been sold for this season — eight thousand more than for the previous season.
But it's exactly this euphoria that club officials are trying to limit. Sporting Director Christian Ziege says that their aim for the next two years is simply to stay in the top flight. “Anything else is utopia.”
Positive development
In order to stay in the first division, Borussia will be relying on their top performers from the past season. As well as German international Oliver Neuville, who was Gladbach's most successful player with 25 scoring points (15 goals/10 assists), the other key players are still there. Midfielder Sascha Rösler, the team's driving force, is still with the club, as are Marko Marin and Marcel Ndjeng.
The two young wingers have taken great strides under Luhukay. Nineteen-year old Marin was on Germany coach Joachim Löw's EURO 2008 squad, and Ndjeng (26) joined the Cameroon national team in May. Canadian Rob Friend has also been coming along. The bulky striker (1.95 meters/94 kilos) arrived before the season from Dutch side SC Heerenveen, and made a huge contribution to the club's promotion with his 18 goals.
Targeted reinforcements
Ziege and Luhukay have brought in some reinforcements during the summer break in order to keep the club in the top flight. Jean-Sebastien Jaures (31) has arrived from Auxerre, and brings with him experience for the left side of the defence. In the centre of the defence, internationally experienced Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker is expected to provide some depth. The 23-year old header expert has already played in the UEFA Cup and the Champions League with Leverkusen.
Other new arrivals are French striker Karim Matmour from SC Freiburg and Gal Albermann from Beitar Jerusalem. He's played 18 times for the Israeli national team, is impressive in duels and could become Gladbach's link between the defence and offence.
The team as star
The club is not looking for stars. The important thing for club officials was that the new players integrate well with the team. “It's important that players fit into the puzzle and can develop here. Roel Brouwers, Marcel Ndjeng and Rob Friend hadn't made a name for themselves before, but here they're team regulars”, explains coach Luhukay.
At Borussia, the team takes centre stage. With this philosophy, Luhukay and Ziege were successful in the second division. But success or failure depend on the performance of individual players.
Gladbach are hoping that young players like Marin and Ndjeng continue to develop well, and that the rest of the team continue to perform as well as they did in the second division. They want to see more superlatives in the coming season.
Gregor Nentwig
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