Borussia Monchengladbach

The West German FA (WDFV) is drawing criticism for requiring a Borussia Monchengladbach under-23 coach train the women's team as a form of punishment, according to ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld. 

Uersfeld wrote Heiko Vogel was banned for two matches for "unsporting behaviour" toward the officials during a U23 match in January. As a consequence, he received a €1,500 fine and was ordered to coach a women's or girl's team for six training sessions.

German football journalist Nicole Selmer explained the obvious issue with the decision.

"It shows that at whatever level women and girls play football, they are not taken as serious as men and boys," Selmer said. "This punishment for the Gladbach coach puts coaching a women's team on a level with social work. But it's not like that. Women's football is a sport, and those who participate in it are as professional as their male counterparts.

"If you strip away everything and give it to them they have good intentions, it is still sending a fatal message, as coaching a women's or girls' team is part of a punishment for a misconduct."

The WDFV declined to comment, telling Uersfeld the ruling was "pending litigation."

The Gladbach women sit third in the northern group of Germany's second division. They're unbeaten through two matches and play Cloppenburg on Sunday.

Vogel has completed his two-match ban and will be back coaching the U23 team on Saturday.

Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach got creative Saturday in the absence of fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As seen in the following video courtesy of BT Sport, the club placed 12,000 cardboard cutouts throughout their Borussia-Park stadium:

Borussia Mönchengladbach's cardboard cut out fans are something else! 🙌

12,000 in the stadium so far, and 20,000 have been ordered.

Impressive numbers 👏👏👏#BundesligaIsBack pic.twitter.com/2fu225qbXG

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 23, 2020

BT Sport noted that fans were allowed to upload a photo of themselves to be used for a cardboard cutout at the price of €19 ($21). A portion of those proceeds will go to charity.

After the league was suspended for about two months because of COVID-19, the Bundesliga returned to action last week in empty stadiums. 

Monchengladbach entered Saturday third in the table with 52 points, putting them two points behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund and six points behind first-placed Bayern Munich.

The Foals hosted fifth-place Leverkusen, who had the opportunity to leapfrog Monchengladbach in the standings with a win.

The agent for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria has said the player will not move on in the January transfer window despite speculation linking him with some of European football's biggest clubs.

The Switzerland international has been a key player for the German side this season, making 11 appearances and helping the team take a surprise lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. 

Zakaria's performances have led to some talk about a transfer, although his representative Mathieu Beda has played down suggestions of a midseason exit, per Sport Bild (h/t Rich Jones of the Daily Mirror).

"Denis will not leave Borussia in the winter, a change is 100 per cent excluded," said Beda of the 22-year-old.

Per Jones, Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been linked with the midfielder.

United are interested in signing the player as a replacement for Ander Herrera, who left Old Trafford to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Arsenal are reported to be ready to include Granit Xhaka, a former Monchengladbach player, as part of a deal to bring Zakaria to north London.

Although Liverpool have also been mentioned as possible suitors, James Pearce of The Athletic dismissed any notion that the European champions would be making a move:

Been told that the speculation about #LFC and Ryan Fraser is wide of the mark. Claims that they are in talks over a January move dismissed as 'nonsense'. Liverpool have also recently been linked with Denis Zakaria from Gladbach but Klopp happy with his midfield options.

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 11, 2019

Monchengladbach have surged into a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. Marco Rose has built an exciting side that is packed full of dynamic young players.

Zakaria epitomises what the side is all about in many respects, as he's a combative and enforcing presence at the hub of the team.

The Swiss provides an excellent shield in front of the defence. Zakaria is also tidy in possession, and he can steam forward with the ball, take on opposition players and fire shots at goal too; he's already chipped in with two goals this term.

Bundesliga's Alex Chaffer thinks the midfielder is the most underrated of Monchengladbach's players:

Gladbach: Zakaria
Leipzig: Demme
Bayern: Pavard https://t.co/8Ubw5Mc3ds

— Alex Chaffer (@AlexChaffer) November 17, 2019

Zakaria recently declined the chance to play down the team's title hopes after their brilliant start:

"The title? Why not."

🗣️ Denis Zakaria on Gladbach's ambitions 🐎 pic.twitter.com/d7AeANR2qJ

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) November 10, 2019

While a move away from the German club midseason appears to be off the cards for Zakaria, interest will no doubt continue throughout the campaign if he keeps performing.

Given the position they're in, Borussia would surely be at loath to lose him or any of their star players in January given they appear to have an opportunity to accomplish something special in the months to come.

Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl has said there have "unfortunately" not been any offers from Premier League clubs for Thorgan Hazard, amid rumours Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in the Belgium international.

Hazard seems likely to join Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, and Eberl told Sport1 (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) a transfer to another German club is "more realistic" than a switch to England: "Unfortunately, there is no offer from England. The German market is more realistic than the English one."

The player himself already told VTM (h/t sportswriter Kristof Terreur) he has a personal agreement with Dortmund, but the two clubs have yet to agree a fee:

Gladbach are still wanting more than €40m for Thorgan.

— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) April 28, 2019

The €40 million (£34 million/$45 million) asking price could be a sticking point, and Monchengladbach's negotiating position would be a lot stronger if English clubs were hoping to land the winger as well.

Formerly of Chelsea, Hazard has blossomed into a quality forward in Germany. He has scored nine goals and nine assists in the Bundesliga this season and finished the 2017-18 campaign with 10 goals in the competition.

The 26-year-old has also become a regular for the Belgian national team, where he combines well with his brother Eden Hazard.

Here is a look at what makes the versatile forward such a strong weapon:

Dortmund will have to replace star prospect Christian Pulisic in the summer—the American will be joining Chelsea. In Hazard, they could land a player who would likely be an upgrade in the immediate future, as he has been more productive than the 20-year-old from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012 but never got a run in the senior team and spent time on loan with Zulte Waregem before joining Monchengladbach. Given his lack of opportunities in the Premier League, his preference to stay in the Bundesliga seems logical.

Per Burton, his contract is set to expire in 2020, so Monchengladbach will have to agree to a transfer in the summer to maximise their earning potential.

West Ham United youngster Reece Oxford has joined Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach on loan for the 2017-18 season, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The deal was announced on the Bundesliga's official website and on Gladbach's Twitter account:

DONE DEAL 🤝 18-year-old @Reeceoxford_ has joined #Borussia on a 1-year loan from @WestHamUtd! More: https://t.co/L6J05eqoBk pic.twitter.com/jH79uufQgd

— Gladbach (@borussia_en) June 21, 2017

The 18-year-old burst on to the scene on the opening day of the 2015-16 season when he made a surprise Premier League debut for the Hammers away at Arsenal having appeared in three of the club's UEFA Europa League qualifiers in the summer.

Oxford played a key role in keeping Mesut Ozil and Co. quiet that day, maintaining a passing accuracy of 95 per cent—the highest of any player on the field—and he lost possession just once, per BBC Sport's Chris Osborne.

The defender made a total of 12 appearances for the Irons in all competitions over the course of the season, though after the match with the Gunners, they were largely just cameo appearances.

He also captained West Ham's under-21 side and guided them to the 2015-16 Premier League Cup, scoring a penalty in the final shootout against Hull City.

Oxford made just two senior outings for West Ham last season, partially as a result of struggling with an ankle injury in the first half of the campaign, but he signed a four-and-a-half-year deal in December.

He joined Championship side Reading in January and made five appearances. He only played a full 90 minutes in his final outing, in which the Royals were thrashed 7-1 by Norwich City.

Oxford will be eager to become a regular fixture in Gladbach's defence straight away.

However, in the immediate future, he may just be restricted to the occasional outing or substitute appearance as he was at West Ham.

Though in the Arsenal match he demonstrated a remarkable composure that belied his tender age, it's important he is given time to develop his game without undue pressure placed on his young shoulders.

Oxford has potential and could become an excellent player in the future, but it will require time and patience from the fans and manager alike.  

Managerial departures in world football might be ten a penny, but every so often, there’s one that you didn’t see coming, that you can’t fathom, and you still struggle to believe it is real days, or even months, later.

Lucien Favre’s exit from Borussia Monchengladbach is one of those. Certainly, the team that finished last season third in the Bundesliga started this campaign pretty much as badly as possible, with five-straight league defeats and a Champions League hammering at Sevilla.

However, it never felt unfixable. A week before Favre quit his post, Gladbach’s director of sport Max Eberl went on ZDF’s Saturday night magazine programme Das aktuelle sportstudio to say that the coach’s status wasn’t even a subject for discussion.

The sense that Gladbach were close to an upswing in fortune is underlined by the fact that they go into their Champions League home debut, against Manchester City at Borussia Park on Wednesday, on the back of successive league victories (the reverse of the 2012 and 2014 Premier League champions’ form). That they will meet Manuel Pellegrini’s side minus Favre was not, however, part of the plan.

It was difficult not to feel sorry for the affable and honest Eberl as he talked the press through Favre’s decision (and it really was the coach’s call) last week. Eberl said he was “incredibly sad that he is no longer our manager,” as per the club’s official Twitter feed, and even struggled to adjust to the reality that the Swiss tactician actually had gone, as the tweet below underlines.

#Eberl: "We told #Favre that we were 100% convinced that he is, well was, the right manager for us." #fohlenelf

— Gladbach (@borussia_en) September 21, 2015

So instead of going head-to-head with Favre, whom many considered to be the Bundesliga’s outstanding coach last season, Pellegrini will have Andre Schubert as his opposite number in North Rhine-Westphalia on Wednesday night. Until just over a week ago, Schubert was looking after the club’s under-23 team.

It’s a fairly common progression in Germany, temporary or not, when there is a sudden departure from the hot seat. Thomas Schneider, Joachim Low’s current assistant, made the same step at Stuttgart in 2013, even if the move quickly went south. It’s a significant leap.

So it’s to Schubert’s great credit that Gladbach emerged from the latest "Englische Woche" (English week), the phrase used in Germany to describe two Saturdays punctuated with an additional midweek league fixture—with two wins on the spin to take into battle against Pellegrini’s team.

After a resounding home win over Augsburg last Wednesday to garner their first points of the season, Schubert’s inherited side won at Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon to finally build some momentum and look, if not quite perfect, far closer to their old selves. Having scored just twice in their opening five games of the season, Die Fohlen have rattled in seven in two under the guidance of Schubert.

This, undoubtedly, will make the urbane Pellegrini sit up and take notice, although he is too canny to have written Gladbach off in the first place. Neither should one think that the Chilean boss not facing Favre is a let-off, given his tactical traumas in the Champions League. The early signs are that Schubert has a trick or two up his sleeve.

One of the new man’s key decisions in this area to date has been leaving centre-forward Josip Drmic—purchased in the summer—out of the starting line-up and replacing him by redeploying midfielder Lars Stindl further forward, in support of Raffael. In many ways, this makes better sense than leading the line with Drmic, and not only because the erstwhile Hannover captain netted 10 times in 20 starts for a freefalling side last season.

Drmic, who scored regularly before a difficult sole campaign at Bayer Leverkusen last time out, is a poacher and remains an interesting option. His arrival to nominally replace Max Kruse (who joined Wolfsburg) represented something of a departure for Gladbach, with last season’s pair of Kruse and Raffael an unusual double act—they both liked to drop deep. From this perspective, Stindl is a better fit, at least while Gladbach seek to recover the old magic.

This new approach will also give City something to think about on Wednesday. They are hardly overburdened with pace at the back, and the potential of two deep-dropping forwards to pull the Premier League’s central defenders towards the halfway line could spell danger. Keeping the wily Raffael, who knows how to pick a pass set up three of the four first-half goals that blew Augsburg away, on a short leash will be key to City’s success or otherwise.

Gladbach often sat and soaked before counter-attacking at speed last season, tactics which undid both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund (they took four league points from the mighty Bayern). It will not have escaped Gladbach’s notice that on City’s last visit to Germany, albeit only a pre-season friendly at Stuttgart, they were picked apart through fast breaks and from wide areas in an astonishing first half at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, as reported by Sky Sports. These are two zones in which the Gladbach that Favre built tend to excel.

The space created by the forward pair saw the wide players break beyond them, and it’s good news for Gladbach that Patrick Hermann—perennially linked with Manchester United, as per Talksport—and Fabian Johnson have both returned to the line-up in these roles. The latter came back from a month out to net the opener against Augsburg.

Their returns from injury mark another distinct difference between the old regime and the nascent one. Simply, luck. The exits of Christoph Kramer and Kruse hurt, but they have been cruelly compounded by injuries. If defensive rock Martin Stranzl is still missing, Schubert has been able to call on Alvaro Dominguez in his two games to date, which Favre was unable to do.

The old coach left a real legacy, and his leaving should not obscure that. There is still stability at the club. Eberl extended his own deal to 2020 last week, days after Favre went, reinforcing that point. They have young talent throughout the squad, including stand-in captain Granit Xhaka (who scored the opener at Stuttgart), Thorgan Hazard and teenager Mo Dahoud, a supremely gifted midfielder who scored his first Bundesliga goal in the win over Augsburg.

The pressure, plainly, is all on City, with those Bundesliga wins finally allowing Gladbach space to enjoy their European adventure. That Favre’s intelligence lives on in his squad makes them dangerous novices to face for the visitors.

Swiss central midfielder Granit Xhaka, 22, is on the fast track to becoming one of the best footballers in the world. 

Still, Xhaka initially struggling at Borussia Monchengladbach is a narrative quickly forgotten with each elite midfield performance. 

Talk Less, Do More

Aquí podéis ver a Xhaka con su nueva camiseta del #Gladbach con el nº 34: http://t.co/pZOYaZYF

— Jose Gavilán (@JoseGavilanR) May 18, 2012

Signed from Basel for €8.5/£6.9 million, Xhaka went from starring at the Swiss Super League equivalent of Bayern Munich to Borussia Monchengladbach, a work in progress.

Elevating from relegation survivors to the fourth-best team in the Bundesliga, Borussia Monchengladbach relinquished three key players in the transfer window that they signed Xhaka.

Marco Reus | Borussia Monchengladbach → Borussia Dortmund: €17.1/£13.8 million (23 years old; 2012).

Dante | Borussia Monchengladbach → Bayern Munich: €4.7/£3.8 million (28 years old; 2012).

Roman Neustadter | Borussia Monchengladbach → Schalke: Free transfer (24 years old; 2012).

Kicker, a German sports magazine, listed Reus as the No. 1 Bundesliga footballer out of 211 players during the 2011/12 season.

Dante helped Borussia Monchengladbach to the second-best defence in the Bundesliga (conceded 24 goals from 34 games).

A big presence in Borussia Monchengladbach's midfield, Neustadter was second at the club for total tackles (99) and first for interceptions (112).

Xhaka attempted to enforce his authority on a Borussia Monchengladbach dressing room low on morale, fearful of being dragged into a second relegation battle in three seasons.

"I heard my new team-mates saying 'we have got to hope that we don't go down'," Xhaka said, per Tages-Anzeiger (h/t ESPN FC). "I thought to myself: what kind of a mentality is that? [I come] from Basel, where everything was about winning."

Unproven at Bundesliga level, Xhaka intended to inspire, but was detrimental to team chemistry.

Entangled in righteous indignation, Xhaka traded verbal barbs with then-team-mate Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a once-in-a-generation goalkeeper, whose words carried more weight than the Swiss newcomer.

"Not even my parents treat me like that. [Ter Stegen is] my age and I don't let anything like that happen [to me]," Xhaka said, per Tages-Anzeiger (h/t beIN Sports). "I thought, 'what the hell is going on here?'"

Borussia Monchengladbach director of sport Max Eberl mumbled his way through justifying how Xhaka, the club's second most expensive player ever, treated his team-mates.

"[Xhaka is] ambitious and maybe mad that things aren't going the way he had planned," Eberl said, per Bild (h/t Ian Hudson at Goal). "That's no problem for me cause we like players that are ambitious."

What made Xhaka so unbearable was his do as I say, not as I do disposition.

Xhaka was "failing to do an ample job," per Stefan Bienkowski at the New York Times.

Placed No. 180 out of 210 footballers in Kicker's Bundesliga player rankings, Xhaka was on course to be a transfer bust.

He started and finished on the bench 29.4 per cent of the time because he was a liability on the field in the eyes of Borussia Monchengladbach manager Lucien Favre.

Another PL scout told me his team had run the rule over Granit Xhaka but decided against a bid as Xhaka was too "one-paced for the PL"

— Jen Chang (@JenChang888) April 23, 2012

Downgraded to being a backup to Havard Nordtveit and Thorben Marx, Lazio offered Xhaka an exit strategy from Borussia Monchengladbach.

The same bullheadedness which provoked Ter Stegen into berating Xhaka meant Lazio failed to convince him to leave.

To accept Lazio's offer would mean Xhaka quitting on Borussia Monchengladbach.

It would serve as the ultimate indictment on how hypocritical Xhaka was after he chided several Borussia Monchengladbach players for being mentally weak at the start of the season.

Ego, pride and the dread of losing face willed Xhaka to rebuff Lazio's approach.

"Yes, I am honoured, but even [Lazio], a club of that stature, is off limits. I am staying here," Xhaka said, per the Express (h/t Patrick Gleeson at Goal). "I have to face this situation and assert myself. I have to be hard on myself and show [Favre] that I belong on the pitch and not in the background."

Spending more time in self-reflection rather than pointing fingers at team-mates, Xhaka re-assessed how he could rectify his floundering start.

Xhaka was candid about his own insecurities regarding the money Borussia Monchengladbach invested in him and how his full pelt approach inhibited his ability to perform.

"I wanted to prove to everyone that it wasn't a mistake to bring me in. But when you want too much, you don't usually achieve much," Xhaka said, per the Bundesliga's website. "I know I've made mistakes and sometimes I've talked about things too openly or directly. That wasn't good and I've learned from that."

Nati-Spieler Granit #Xhaka (@GranitXhaka) im @kicker_bl_li -Interview über sein Startjahr bei @borussia. pic.twitter.com/rr9gnBSzvm

— Benjamin Bruni (@benjaminbruni) November 12, 2013

"Oh, I'm the real deal." — Kramer

Nordtveit and Marx cooperated adeptly because both are blue-collared, ordinary, team-first and safe central midfielders.

They are role players with simple playing styles, whose inability to dominate midfield shifted the onus on Xhaka.

Frustrated with the mentality of his team-mates, his own declining form, the backlash to his brash opinions and being dropped contributed to Xhaka being marked so harshly by Kicker during the 2012/13 season. 

In contrast, what made Xhaka and Christoph Kramer a pristine match was the untapped world-class potential both possessed when they first trained together.

Kramer, on the books of Bayer Leverkusen, played out two seasons in the 2. Bundesliga for Bochum, so Borussia Monchengladbach was his best chance of realising his top-flight dreams.

Xhaka had an ego-crushing campaign where he was humbled, out of form, and perhaps for the first time in his career, felt like a loser.

A 6'3" and 181-pound central midfielder, Kramer is a complete footballer: physically blessed, prolific ball-winner, can take on opposing players and functions as a passing outlet. 

Kramer lessens the burden on Xhaka and enables him to dictate the tempo of the game.

Unsung hero?@borussia_en’s Granit Xhaka at the heart of #Gladbach’s attack with over 100 touches already #BMGH96 pic.twitter.com/aMiOs5T5i5

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 15, 2015

Granit Xhaka: Has had 63 touches of the ball in the first half, 34 more than any Schalke player #S04BMG pic.twitter.com/FBfvP4IT1R

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) February 6, 2015

As a pair, they have proven to be the real deal.

Kramer is tied for third-place for most tackles per Bundesliga game (3.4).

There are only three Bundesliga players who average more passes per game than Xhaka (78.3): Xabi Alonso (105.4), David Alaba (87.6) and Jerome Boateng (78.3).

Xhaka has hit 100-plus passes twice, per Squawka.

What further enhances the Xhaka-Kramer partnership is they have similar personalities.

"There are certainly people who will criticise me and say I'm big-headed, but for me I'm still exactly the same guy I was a year ago," Kramer said, per the Bundesliga's website. "It's just people's opinions."

"I compliment Kramer perfectly. We both put in a lot of legwork, win many balls, and we're comfortable with the ball at our feet," Xhaka said, per Felix Seaman-Hoschele at the Bundesliga's website. "We also talk a lot both off and on the pitch."

Kramer's impending return to Bayer Leverkusen is the next significant challenge Xhaka will have to overcome at Borussia Monchengladbach.

FC Hollywood? No, thank you

Granit #Xhaka zieht die Fäden bei der @Borussia aus #Gladbach. @ruhrpoet hat's notiert http://t.co/NeNfxb3Mfm pic.twitter.com/A37GjN3vZ4

— Funke Sport (@FunkeSport) March 16, 2015

Sputtering to four defeats in a row, Bayern Munich are pursuing Xhaka, per the Telegrafi (h/t Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC). 

The once-swashbuckling demeanour which alienated Xhaka from the general footballing public will now win him new admirers after he emphatically dissociated himself from Bayern Munich, the Bradley Cooper of football clubs.

"I have never had any contact with Bayern Munich, let alone have agreed personal terms," Xhaka said, per Andreas Kotter at Ran (h/t Stephan Uersfeld at ESPN FC). "That's blatant nonsense, because I am very, very happy here [at Borussia Monchengladbach]."

This was evidenced with Xhaka extending his contract until 2019 with an additional one-year option.

#Gladbach have extended Granit #Xhaka's contract with the club until 2019! More info soon... #fohlenelf pic.twitter.com/5FDZbwX7q9

— Gladbach (@borussia_en) February 2, 2015

"Granit has developed hugely in his two-and-a-half years with us and has become one of the most important players on the team," Eberl said, per Borussia Monchengladbach's website. "We're excited that we have been able to keep him."

Grinning at the camera, Eberl's sense of achievement is a turnaround from the anxieties he may have had over Xhaka flaming out in spectacular fashion.

Now Eberl is probably fretting over how he keeps Xhaka from being entrapped by the allure of Bayern Munich in the coming seasons.

Alaba, Geis, Xhaka, Gustavo, Polanski, Alonso

Who's your defensive midfield pick for #BLTOTS http://t.co/IhFB9Y1TSq pic.twitter.com/8wmp4lNdsB

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 8, 2015

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com. 

As the old saying goes "History is written by the winners." Never has a phrase been so true about war and indeed football. For within two weeks of Bundesliga battling, Borussia Monchengladbach have fallen from title hopefuls to simple top-four contenders.

Or have they?

This week's news has been led by the line that Borussia Dortmund have finally overcome their domestic hump in form, turned the corner and got their title challenge back on track.

Yet where is the appreciation for Lucien Favre's side and the simple truth behind it all? The Foals should have never lost that game on Sunday.

If it hadn't been for an unfortunate and somewhat freak own goal from Gladbach's current boy-wonder, Christoph Kramer, Favre's side would have left the Westfalenstadion on Sunday with their heads held high. They would have held Dortmund to a 0-0 draw just 14 days after doing the same with Bayern Munich.

World champion Christoph Kramer with the own goal of the season http://t.co/X4a9CjOYcl

— FootballAlbum (@Footballalbum) November 10, 2014

Of course, such hyperbole of Gladbach coming undone following their first defeat in the Bundesliga this season is perhaps just as daft as claims that they were indeed ready to fight Bayern for this season's league title.

The Foals are in fact somewhere in between these two extremes.

Operating on a budget that pales in comparison to that of Dortmund, never mind Bayern, Favre should first be considered a genius and an outstanding forerunner for Manager of the Year when we consider what he has built at Borussia-Park on very little resources.

Like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, the Swiss coach thrives when allowed the space and time to build a squad from top to bottom and can then twist and turn its tactics with absolute confidence.

It is a team, rather than individual stars, that Favre has built at Gladbach, and it is what has propelled them up the league table this season.

Having lost key players in each season that he's been at the club, Favre has in fact opted to build a squad of hard-working, athletic players who can counter-attack with speed and precision. Comparisons to Klopp's first Dortmund side wouldn't go unnoticed here, as the Foals have taken much success from simply sitting back and hitting teams on the break across Germany.

It's this solid defensive foundation, built upon the outstanding capture of Yann Sommer in goal—a perfect, economical replacement for outgoing wonderkid Marc-Andre ter Stegen—with Tony Jantschke, Martin Stranzl and Alvaro Dominguez in defence, that has allowed Favre to create a team that have conceded fewer goals than all outside the Allianz Arena and indeed lose just one game his season.

Yet football is all about balance, and with a strong defensive line sure enough, a weak attack slowly begins to emerge from the mist.

For all of Gladbach's excellence in keeping the ball out of their own net, they have struggled at times to put it in the opposing goal this season. They may currently sit third in the Bundesliga table on points won, but based on goals scored, they sit as far back as eighth.

Oddly enough, striker Max Kruse sits just one goal shy of toping the league goalscoring chart—with five goals in eight starts this season, according to WhoScored.com—yet he stands somewhat alone in a squad of 18 players that has only seen four score more than one goal in this league campaign.

Wolfsburg have Ivica Olic, Ivan Persic and others, Bayern have Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, and even Dortmund have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus and two other strikers.

Gladbach have only one goalscorer, and it's definitely holding them back.

It's at this point where the comparisons to Klopp's early Bundesliga-winning sides at Dortmund begin to wear thin. Gladbach may defend like the best of them in Germany, but they simply haven't got the talent up front—or at least enough of it—to challenge for a league title.

Instead Favre, and any Gladbach fan you can find, will tell you that their highest ambition this season is to finish within the top four and claim a vital Champions League spot for next season.

Like so many medium-sized clubs around the Bundesliga (Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, etc) a shot of life—or cash from Europe's top competition—is all it takes to go from a mid-table yo-yo side to regular top-four contenders and then hopefully a little further forward, as Dortmund have done in recent years.

In a sense, Gladbach are flying way above any expectations they may have set themselves this season. The first step is Champions League qualification and then once they have that footing, to push on and match clubs like Dortmund and Wolfsburg in title challenges.

The problem only comes from Favre being a little too good at his job and the Foals being a little too ahead of schedule. Nonetheless, let's keep our eyes on this space over the next few seasons.

Follow Stefan on Twitter @Sbienkowski.

Tasked with the difficult job of replacing Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Yann Sommer's recent form for Borussia Monchengladbach indicates he has no plans on being a passable goalkeeper—he is striving to be elite. 

Sommer has been world-class as Gladbach move on post-Ter Stegen.

• Sommer's 36-9 in saves-games played shows he is a prolific shot-stopper.
• His 44.4 percent of saves occurred inside the penalty box proves he comes up big when Gladbach are exposed.  
• A 90 save percentage is video game numbers.
• Sommer's 9.0 saves per goal conceded is equal to Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer.

Gladbach competing intensely with Bundesliga champions Bayern, a potentially dynastic side, getting a 0-0 draw, is another sign Lucien Favre's side have become contenders. 

Neuer deserves plaudits for saving Bayern from losing to Gladbach, though how many saves did he make?

Five. 

The same as Sommer. 

Also think Yann Sommer can be one of the elite goalkeepers in Europe. Displays such calm under pressure. Distribution also really good.

— Cristian Nyari (@Cnyari) October 26, 2014

GK	Nation	Age	Height	Weight
Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Germany	22	6'2"	187 lbs
Yann Sommer	Switzerland	25	6'0"	174 lbs

On the surface, Sommer is not physically imposing.

Lacking two inches in height and 13 pounds in weight compared to Ter Stegen, Sommer was not the ideal replacement (on paper).

Furthermore, Sommer does not have the upside of German young guns like Koln's 21-year-old Timo Horn or Mainz's 21-year-old Loris Karius.

But not every prospect transitions into the next Ter Stegen or Thibaut Courtois.

Hoffenheim's 22-year-old Belgian Koen Casteels has incredible potential ability, yet he is unreliable.

Gladbach management scouted Sommer to a great degree.

Save of the season? Basel's Yann Sommer gets some serious air to keep out a shot against Schalke last night. pic.twitter.com/XduEQSfqCN

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) December 12, 2013

Playing a combined 47 times in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games for Basel and Vaduz reassured Gladbach management that Sommer could make the jump from the Swiss Super League to the Bundesliga. 

Unlike the Premier League, there is no dearth of home-grown talent in the Bundesliga.

Therefore, foreigners need to be creme de la creme, otherwise they will be replaced by a German. That factored into Belgian goalkeeper Logan Bailly being moved on to facilitate Ter Stegen's development. 

• Ter Stegen, Gladbach → Barcelona: €12/£9.5 million.
• Sommer, Basel → Gladbach: €6/£4.7 million. 

Given the sheer magnitude of spending power between Barca and Gladbach, the fact that Sommer's transfer fee is in the ball park of Ter Stegen's reaffirms how highly the Bundesliga club rate the Swiss international. 

"Sommer is an outstanding goalkeeper who has already gained huge international experience," Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl said, per Gladbach's official website (h/t the Bundesliga's official website). "We're delighted he has chosen to come to us."

Sommer's positive first impression at Gladbach is strikingly different to Ter Stegen's character testing start at Barca.

After three seasons as an undisputed starter at Gladbach, there are whispers of doubt regarding how good Ter Stegen really is, now that he is under daily pressure at Barca. 

A back injury hindered his training routine for two weeks and he is being outplayed by Claudio Bravo as Barca manager Luis Enrique rotates the two. 

In La Liga, Claudio Bravo went 754 minutes unbeaten before conceding three times in El Clasico. 

.@C1audioBravo leaves La Liga shutout record at 754 minutes #classicFCB #FCBLive pic.twitter.com/LeE4x4okft

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2014

Meanwhile in the Champions League, Ter Stegen has been left ruminating how he can command a Barca team full of champions as if he was back at Gladbach.

Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, one of the greatest goalkeepers ever, played down concerns speculating Ter Stegen's form was linked to low confidence.

"Ter Stegen is recovered from the mistake [against Paris Saint-Germain]," Zubizarreta said, per AS (h/t Football Espana). "He has the personality to overcome any setback."

https://twitter.com/Mr_Bundesliga/status/517318341481205760

Conversely, when Sommer arrived at Gladbach, he immediately attempted to distance himself from the immense shadow Ter Stegen left.

"I'm not putting myself under any pressure as Marc's successor," Sommer said, per the Bundesliga's official website. "I'm not looking to make people at Borussia forget him, I just want to be a good keeper for the team."

While Ter Stegen is under pressure to justify the hype at Barca, Sommer has alleviated the pressure at Gladbach by outplaying his predecessor.  

Sommer's Kicker player rating [1] is 0.20 points better than Ter Stegen's last season at Gladbach.

As #BMGM05 winds down to M'gladbach win, an emotional Marc-Andre ter Stegen said goodbye to the @borussia faithful pic.twitter.com/F59QieiwkM

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 3, 2014

Here comes the (Yann) Sommer! M'gladbach confirm signing of Andre ter Stegen's successor (via @borussia) pic.twitter.com/YnwpuRxd6d

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 10, 2014

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored 

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 [1] Kicker judges footballers on a rating of one-six; the lower the rating the better.