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After spending five years with Norwich, Daniel Farke returned to Germany for his first season in the Bundesliga as Borussia Mönchengladbach’s new head coach. In this interview, Farke gives his first impressions of his new club, as well as his coaching idols and his thoughts on facing Bayern this weekend.
Tell us about your time in Norwich.
“If I’m honest, I wouldn’t have predicted five years ago that I was going to spend such a long time in England, especially because I was the first foreign coach for Norwich City, a club with such a big history, hopes and expectations as well. You can never plan to be there for five years or something like that. It was a great journey. If I’m honest, I also chose the club really carefully. I had some easier options, in the eyes of some, to stay in Germany and work at a top level, but for me, it was a big challenge. Norwich were in a difficult situation, and I had to bring stability and success to such a club in such a situation, as their first foreign coach who wasn’t a native speaker, with a team that was a bit too old and had financial problems. There were not really principles you wanted to play with or views you wanted to stand for. It was a big challenge, and you always grow when you have big challenges. That’s why I chose Norwich, and in the end, it was a fantastic journey for all of us. We were able to deliver two Premier League seasons and two Championship titles for the club. In their whole history, they had just one Championship title before. It was a fantastic journey with ups and downs (as there always are in football), but overall, it was a fantastic time, and I grew as a coach and as a person. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to change being Norwich coach, that’s for sure.”
And how did it go for you personally?
“First of all, each and every experience abroad helps you to grow, because you get an outside view. I’ve spent my whole life in Germany as a player and coach and was educated in Germany. When you look at the outside world, then you judge things a bit differently. Also, the way you work abroad is a bit different. You have other experiences, and that helps as well. It’s not easy to fight your way through as a foreign coach because you have to convince people more with your quality and hard work, so it’s always good to have the challenge. I would always advise someone who has the chance to work at the top level, and for me, the Premier League is the top level of football. It was definitely a good challenge.”
What did you miss about Germany when you were in England?
“Definitely the German bread, we have wonderful bread in Germany. Also, the coffee – it’s better in Germany, while in England they are tea specialists. When you grow up with the Bundesliga and German football, then you always keep a close eye on what’s going on in Germany as well. Of course, it also wasn’t easy to spend time with my friends and family. Overall, it was a great and fantastic experience working in England, and I wouldn’t change one second of it.”
What did you think of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s previous season?
“Overall, I’ve got to say that Borussia Mönchengladbach is a fantastic club with a great reputation.
This extends to England, where they always talk about Borussia Mönchengladbach being one of the German giants. That’s how I feel too – this club has created coaching and playing legends. They are five-time winners of the Bundesliga and seven-time winners of the Cup, so in general, it’s a big club and like a family, with fantastic people. Obviously, I can’t lie that the last 18-24 months have been difficult and challenging. There has been some criticism, but it’s always the same in football – you need to accept this criticism a little bit and be self-critical. I have to say that ever since I walked through the door, everyone here has been so focused and concentrated. We’ve been self-critical and analysed things, but we are also hungry and motivated to bring success back to this fantastic club. We know it’s challenging for a club like Borussia Mönchengladbach. COVID-19 wasn’t easy in financial terms, and we’re not playing on the European stage, so there’s no money there. We know that there are a few clubs in the league that are allowed and are able to work with different financial circumstances and greater opportunities. We have our way, and we want to defend our shirt and colours with our way and make the most of the situation.”
You mentioned Borussia’s coaching legends – are there any role models for you as a coach?
“The more you grow up, the less you have one specific role model. You try to learn from each and every one. Of course, Hennes Weisweiler is the big name. I’m still a bit too young to know every detail about him, but you read about him and listen to people who knew him. Even right now, there are still many legends, who still work for Borussia Mönchengladbach. It’s great to have a guy like Rainer Bonhof around, who has so much experience and humility. He has so many experiences as a coach and player and created great memories. Hans Meyer is also with us, who was a pretty important coach in our history. It’s still a joy to be able to talk to him and to listen to coaches who have experienced so much in life. I also enjoy talking to Hans as I love his humour, and when he gives insight, it’s always inspirational. I can’t mention every legend, but they are all fantastic football players. I should definitely mention Günter Netzer. There are so many coaches. It’s a sign of how big the club is when I can mention so many names and still forget many of them!”
Last season, Borussia Mönchengladbach conceded 61 goals. What were Gladbach’s main problems last season?
“Firstly, you have to be honest and transparent. 61 goals is too many – we definitely conceded too many. However, there’s not just one reason for it. Football is a complex sport and there are small details that can change everything in football. Football combines everything together. For example, Manchester City are always praised for being a team that concedes the fewest set-piece goals of any Premier League club. However, I wouldn’t say that they are so good at defending set-pieces; rather, they have players like Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva who are so determined to stop corners and set-pieces from being conceded in the first place. Hence, it’s more the fact that they don’t concede corner kicks because they are so dominant in their possession. The better you are in possession, and the better your possession, then the more likely you are to have a solid defence, because when you have 70-80% possession, then providing you’re not scoring your own goals, then you shouldn’t concede. That’s a fact. Then you also have more energy, power and concentration to focus on defending off the ball. Therefore, I wouldn’t be able to pick out one specific reason as to why we conceded so many goals last season. We also want to work on being a bit more dominant on the ball and having good structure in possession or being prepared for the moments when you have to defend. I think there are many details we can work on, and this is my responsibility and the work we will be doing from day one.”
What did you first say to the team when you met, and did you prepare especially for this speech?
“I would say a mix of things. If you’re not prepared when meeting a new team of players, then that gives a bad first impression. I think you have to prepare. I had enough time to watch more or less all of the final games of last season, gaining new information on all the players and their characters. It was important for me, but if I’m honest, it was during the players’ summer holiday, so I didn’t want to disturb them. As coaches, we are so highly motivated when taking on a new role to speak to each and every player. I refrained as I wanted to give them their holiday, as I think it was important for them after a difficult season. So, I stayed away from them. It was then important to create a bond between us, even from first impressions. This was also my focus, and I was prepared for this. It’s not like I was reading words off a piece of paper to talk to them though. You have to react using your gut feeling and to gauge what the team needs. On the one hand, you need to be more or less perfectly prepared, but on the other hand, you can’t be fully concentrated on a script. You need to flexible in what you’re saying, and I’m pretty sure the players got my point.”
Daniel Farke celebrates with his players while still at Norwich City – Courtesy photo
What did you say in your speech?
“I told them what I expect from them, and what they can expect from me. I talked about the principles of how we will work, and more general things. Not specific things like how to defend a corner, but more general rules and principles that we want to work with, and mutual expectations. Without giving too much away, one of my principles is that I don’t like vanity in the dressing room. I will always be honest and give them my point of view on a game. If someone praises my team for example, then I don’t feel I have to be critical in order to balance out this praise. Or if we are criticised, then I won’t hold my arms around them and praise them. I told them that I’m not fussed about results (well, we all are I guess, to an extent) but more about what I see and realise. If I praise or criticise them, it won’t matter whether we win or lose a game 1-0, but rather what we do with our principles, and how we play. I will always be honest – it doesn’t matter whether they’re the captain, number one goalkeeper, goal scorer or a 17-year-old lad. I will always be honest, and this is one of the principles I gave to them. There are others which are also important to me and our working relationship. I think the players understood.”
You face FC Bayern München and Sadio Mané next Saturday. Did you ever get to speak with him during your time in England?
“It’s bad news that I have to meet Sadio Mané again, because the last time we met, we lost after a really good and close game. This was a Premier League game in Norwich, in which we lost 1-0, although I’d say we were the better team. We came pretty close to getting at least a point or even winning. Then Sadio came on in the 60th minute and in the 82nd minute, he had a world-class moment and scored a wonderful goal in a moment of magic. We then lost because he was so outstanding when he scored. I remember after the game giving him a short hug and telling him how much I always hated seeing him! Sadly, I have to face him again now pretty quickly. But I’ve got to say that it’s always great seeing Sadio again because he’s such a fantastic player. If you love football, then you love Sadio Mané. His personality is great too – he’s a great character and a fantastic human being. Overall, it’s great to see him back. I won’t be focused on talking to him when we play each other, but rather focused on my own game and my team. However, it’s always great to see Sadio. I think it’s fantastic news for the Bundesliga that a player of his quality and character is now playing in the Bundesliga. I can only congratulate FC Bayern München.”
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