Max Eberl: The goalless man behind Moenchengladbach's success

2020-12-08 13:05:28 GMT2020-12-08 21:05:28(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

By Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The fact that he never scored a goal in a competitive game could be seen as a reason to doubt Max Eberl's footballing skills.

After becoming an official, the 47-year-old has proven that the lack of goals has never hindered him.

The man who made Borussia Moenchengladbach one of this Champions League campaign's surprises might have never fancied goalscoring in his 232 professional performances. However, his imperfection hasn't stopped the former defender from turning the team into a slick team of goal scorers.

Having scored 16 goals in the Champions League's group stage makes the "Foals" the most successful side next to Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

Ahead of the decisive encounter against Real Madrid which will decide who goes forward to the last 16, the Germans on top contain the campaign's best striker in the person of Alassane Plea.

The 27-year-old Frenchman finds himself in an illustrious circle of prominent goal-getters.

Plea has made his way to the top of the Champions League's scorer list (5 goals/3 assists/8 scorer points) ahead of Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Alvaro Morata (Juve), and United's Marcus Rashford (all 7).

Borussia's attack is the team's most efficient weapon as Marcus Thuram and Breel Embolo complete the wealth of specialists for hitting the back of the net.

Eberl's achievements remind many fans of the club's golden era back in the 70s, when they won five national championships next to the UEFA Cup victories in 1975 and 1979.

Famous footballers such as Berti Vogts, Guenter Netzer, and Jupp Heynckes made their way to international class in Borussia's shirt.

The young team was said to be the goal factory from Boekelberg.

The Borussia Park, the club's modern arena, was opened in 2004. The old stadium was demolished, and the area turned into a residential area. Several former and current footballers still own property or are tenants.

Two dates might stand for Moenchengladbach's revival as a leading force in football. In 2008, Eberl became the sporting director. In 2019 he signed Red Bull Salzburg coach Marco Rose.

Having established the club amongst the top 6 to 8 German clubs a while back, Rose attacking style has lifted the side to a new level enabling them to perhaps proceed to the next round despite group opponents such as Real and Inter.

Eberl's smartness has allowed them to no longer just be a producer of talents for bigger clubs.

"Today, we have a lot to offer for players normally heading for the top dogs. We play Champions League and are one of the leading German clubs," Eberl underlined.

The club's driving force was awarded the best manager award in the 2014/15 season. Reports often spoke of Bayern's interest, but Eberl stayed and now enjoys wide powers.

Facing the favourites of Real, the official's defensive experiences might be as helpful as the new team's attacking skills.

"We see it as a final and a great opportunity. We all know about Real's outstanding qualities but our goal is to qualify for the next round," Eberl stated. Enditem

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