Rainer Bonhof: “We’re trying something new”

Borussia president Rainer Bonhof speaks about the Foals’ 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign and looks ahead to next season.

Rainer, Gladbach finished 14th in the Bundesliga this season. How would you sum up the last year?

Rainer Bonhof: It’s difficult to summarise it in just a few words. One thing’s for sure – we’re not at all satisfied with how the season went. It was clear from the off that we were going to have a challenging season – we had many personnel changes, new arrivals in the coaching team and a very demanding programme. I have to say, though, that after the expectedly tough start, the team managed to find their feet, and some stability in midfield, by the winter break – even if we did let one or two games slip from our grasp by conceding too many goals.

And after the winter break?

Bonhof: Of course, we got the new year off to a super start with a win against Stuttgart. But unfortunately, the team couldn’t take any momentum from that game. The fact that we only won two games in the second half of the season just isn’t good enough. 17th place in 2024 should be a clear warning and 34 points in the final standings isn’t enough. As our sporting director Roland Virkus said at the weekend, we can’t go on like this.

Where do we go from here?

Bonhof: The sporting management will use the next few days and weeks to analyse the season. I don’t want to pre-empt their findings. But it’s clear that we weren’t able to find a sustainable solution in the second half of the season to the problems we faced in the first half. We continued to ship goals, some of them really avoidable, and to squander leads.

What do you think are the reasons behind that?

Bonhof: It was all change at the club this season. It’s not just that four or five players moved on the departing players were all among our top performers, and many of them were internationals and leaders in the dressing room. Most of them left on free transfers, too. You can’t just replace that quality at the drop of a hat; the new players have to be bedded in first. In addition, several of our more experienced squad members haven’t played to their potential this season. There are a number of reasons for that, including injuries. That will certainly be taken into account in the analysis. The team definitely still needs a couple of players who have a bit of resilience on the pitch and can lead the team. And last but not least, the defeat in the DFB-Pokal quarter final at Saarbrücken may still have been playing on the squad’s minds at the back end of the season. I’d just like to give my express praise to the fans on that front. They were understandably angry and frustrated after we were knocked out of the cup, but they quickly realised that we needed their full support.

What are you expecting from the season analysis?

Bonhof: Everything will be discussed and analysed behind closed doors. Why did we concede so many goals? Why did we have so many players out injured? Are the processes in place in and around the team the right ones? Our position is even more annoying when you realise that we only lost as many games as Hoffenheim, Bremen and Freiburg this season, but they turned far more of their draws into victories. So I’m expecting a critical analysis with concrete solutions.

What makes you optimistic for the future?

Bonhof: 18 months ago, we said that we were going to do things our own way. It might not be the easiest or quickest approach, but it’s the right one. We said we were trying something new; we want to bring youth players into the first team and strengthen our squad through smart transfers. If you look at the players Roland Virkus has brought in over the past year, you’ve got to say it’s been quite impressive. Franck Honorat and Robin Hack have been great additions to the squad, and have really come into their own under Gerardo Seoane. Tomáš Čvančara hasn’t really had an opportunity to get going due to injuries, but we’ll have fun seeing him kick on next season. The loan signings of Max Wöber and Jordan have proven to be astute moves, too. All in all, they were good signings and important changes to the team, and that’s exactly how we need to carry on this summer. Fabio Chiarodia, Lukas Ullrich and Grant-Leon Ranos are talents who will be able to help us in the medium-term. Just like one or two others that perhaps have flown under the radar up to this point…

Who do you mean by that?

Bonhof: Well, it’s no secret that our U19s, for example, have had an outstanding season. What’s more, our team at the youth academy are working on bringing in one or two very interesting players. Gladbach is a prime destination for young prospects, and you can see that young players are perhaps more likely to be given a chance here than elsewhere – after all, we fielded eight players aged 21 or under last season. And that goes to show that Gerardo Seoane is fully on board with following the Borussia way. I like the fact that he said there’s still lots to do after Saturday’s game, and that he’s full of energy. I’m really pleased by that – he’s the right coach for us.