Football Season Guide

Borussia Mönchengladbach had a season of two halves last term. The opening round of matches were almost a complete write-off under Andre Schubert, before Dieter Hecking steadied the ship in the second half of the season. Based on their form after Christmas, Gladbach would have made the Europa League but this season will give the club a chance to focus on the league and develop their squad. The focus over the summer has certainly been on some of the talent that has left the club. Andreas Christensen has moved back to Chelsea after a very successful loan period in Germany. Both he and central midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud will be big losses for the team with the latter moving to fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Hecking has opted to only bring in a few players to replace those departures and strengthen the squad. Vincenzo Grifo lit up the league for Freiburg last season and will be an excellent addition on the wing but that is an area where the club have an awful lot of options so competition will be intense for places in the starting line-up. Matthias Ginter replaces Christensen at the back and offers plenty of experience at this level. The most interesting signing could be another loan move from the Premier League as Reece Oxford joins from West Ham and could be used in a deep-lying playmaker role. If he can settle in quickly, he has a lot of potential and could offer the squad something very unique in the league. The Gladbach squad is well balanced overall and they look poised to make another run towards the European places. There will be some concerns about the attack however where an ever ageing Raffael continues to lead the line. If he picks up more injuries, as he did last season, or struggles to find goals then the club could be forced into the transfer market in January to find an additional striker. The midfield will also be a crucial source of goals for Hecking.