Gerardo Seoane: “I’m ready to be a part of the journey”

Gerardo Seoane was presented to the media at a press conference after being announced as head coach. We summarised the most important quotes from the 44-year-old as well as managing director for sport Roland Virkus.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane on…

His first impressions at Borussia Mönchengladbach: First of all, I’d like to thank the club management, especially Roland Virkus, for the trust shown in me. Most of my communication has been with Roland, but all of my discussions with club management showed me that open and transparent communication is the way here, and that everyone has a realistic appreciation of the current situation.

The reasons behind coming to Borussia: The Borussia way is a 100% match to my own thoughts and ideas. We have a very similar vision on how we want football to be played, so I got the feeling that it was the right decision to come to the club and be a part of this journey. Obviously, the size of the club speaks for this step as well. Borussia is a club with a lot of tradition and an unbelievable fan base. I have a long-standing affinity to Borussia because of the many Swiss players and coaches who have been here over the years and I’ve been to games at the stadium in the past. It was always impressive to experience the atmosphere. Of course, the Bundesliga also appeals to me. My staff and I really enjoyed the experiences that we picked up in my first year in Leverkusen – the full stadiums, the absolute passion. My family also felt really at home in the Rhineland and as a father, that’s very important to me.

The style of football he wants to play: The players available always impact the way that we play- As the head coach I obviously also have to adapt to the possibilities that we have in the squad to get the best possible result. In principle, I like to see a very active side and a team that is brave in every phase of the game, with and without the ball; an honest style of football. I would like us not to hold back, but rather take on a lot to get the result we want. The Borussia philosophy also involved working with young players to allow them to develop and give themselves the chance to establish themselves in the first team. That also means that players who perform will then go on and take the next step. I’m ready to be a part of that journey.

Possible changes to the squad: Seeing the Borussia DNA on the pitch once again is a process of development that involves the players, the coaches and the whole club. The squad and the players’ strengths also play a role. A functioning team requites different characteristics and different strengths. Compatibility is always a factor. We’re already in intense discussions about what kind of attributes the squad might be lacking. We’ve already had some discussions and analysis and now it’s about continuing that. On the whole, we perhaps want a bit more speed and dynamism going forward as well as the basic attributes that every head coach wants from their players – that a player is strong in duels and not afraid to get stuck in. That also needs to be worked on in training. The most important thing is what we work on in training and the intensity of what we do day-to-day on the pitch.

His goals at Borussia: I worked in youth development for eight years, where the objective was to develop young players and teach them values and get them into the first team. That’s generally how I see my role as a head coach. It’s all about developing the team, sharing calues and working on things as a team. I think we do a good job of taking things step-by-step. Of course we’re all highly ambitious. Every player, every coach and every club has the ambition of playing in Europe. But where we are right now, that’s not something we’re concerned with.

Borussia’s 22/23 season: I’ve seen a few very good halves and games from Borussia. We have to build on those. It’s a process that you have to go through. Certain players perform better or worse under one coach than another and each coach’s personal preferences also play a role there. It’s definitely important to develop a good relationship with the team and communicate directly with players to get a feeling of what each player needs to reach the next step. In addition to that, it’s also important to form a team that brings the best out of each individual. The goal is to build on the strengths of each player to create a strong team.

The new captain: The question of who will be the new captain is a decision that needs to be made. I think it’s important to speak to the players to get to know their characters. At the moment I can’t say whether it’s a decision that I will make alone or together with the players.

Managing director for sport Roland Virkus on…

The appointment of Gerardo Seoane as head coach: We’re convinced that the path we’ve created for Borussia is the right one. Gerardo stands for a style of football that is structured and organised while also being variable and that fits our philosophy. In our discussions, he fully convinced us with his personality and we’re very confident that Gerardo is the right coach for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Potential changes to the squad: We have to add more to the squad to get Borussia capable of playing the football that it has always been known for. That includes dynamic players. We’re in a lot of talks and we’ll be making decisions to that end.

The arrival of Dr. Philipp Schützendorf as head of development: Borussia has a clear DNA which includes the development of young players. It’s also important that we use all of the potential that we have inside the club. Recently, we had been sharing these tasks across several different shoulders but we’ve now agreed that we need one person responsible for this again and that’s what we’ve found in Philipp Schützendorf. He brings a huge amount of expertise and was a leader in the area of data analysis recently.

Borussia’s new sporting director Nils Schmadtke: Football has developed massively and we have to adapt to that. Modern football and our operations as managers involve a lot of different areas. Therefore, we’ve decided to bring in Nils, who will be close to the team, support the coaches and lead his own staff. We’ve known Nils for a long time and he has a lot of sporting expertise. He was working in our scouting department and was then head scout at VfL Wolfsburg. We think that with this set up and with him as sporting director, we can work more effectively.