Like an overzealous young racehorse, the Foals slowed in the final furlong this season, only limping across the line in sixth place to win a return to the Europa League. A stronger sprint to the finish might have yielded Champions League football.

Nevertheless, Gladach's team has really started to take shape, just two seasons after having its spine of Marco Reus, Dante and Roman Neustädter ripped out by Bundesliga rivals Dortmund, Bayern and Schalke, respectively. After a shaky season rebuilding, Gladbach appear to be back amongst the Bundesliga elite.

Key player

Departing keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, to be replaced by Swiss goalie Yann Sommer, had an exceptional swansong season at his boyhood club. Bargain signing Max Kruse scored a dozen and set up another 12. Yet our vote goes to Brazilian playmaker Raffael, the Foals' top scorer with 14 in the league. No mean feat, considering the 29-year-old's longstanding reputation as a splendid creative attacker with a sub-par finish.

Surprise star

Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch to call Christoph Kramer a surprise. A highly-rated talent from Bayer Leverkusen's prolific academy is always worth a second look. Still, there's a case to make for Kramer being the season's best on-loan player - with competition from Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

Kramer was on the teamsheet from day one against Bayern Munich, making a defensive midfield spot his own at the expense of Havard Nordtveit, a key man for Favre in previous seasons. A Germany debut against Poland was his end-of-season reward - and Joachim Löw was so impressed that he's taken the previously un-nominated player along to Germany's pre-World Cup training camp in northern Italy.

Coach

Were Lucien Favre a lesser, more petulant man, he could bask in a childish chorus of "I told you so" this summer. His transfer wheeling and dealing, often highlighted as a weakness for the Swiss tactician, was a roaring success this season. Favre's favorite Raffael (the two have worked together at FC Zurich, Hertha Berlin and Gladbach) delivered more than many expected. Kruse settled right in, and even last season's problematic young signings like Alvaro Dominguez and Granit Xhaka began to show their true value.

Augsburg standout Andre Hahn and Sommer appear two more excellent acquisitions for the coming off-season, as well. (Let's discreetly ignore Gladbach's record purchase of last summer, Luuk de Jong, who's currently hoping to make his Newcastle loan deal permanent).

Defining moment

There's little love between Germany's biggest Borussias - and this season Gladbach did the double over Dortmund, claiming six Bundesliga points. The 2-0 home win in October, prior to Dortmund's major injury woes, was Gladbach's first win of the season against top-class opposition - announcing that their strong start to the campaign was no flash in the pan.

Admittedly, the game was also perhaps ter Stegen's best performance of the season, as Dortmund peppered his goal with 27 shots. But the Foals held firm for 80 minutes before Kruse and then Raffael stunned their opponents to claim the Borussia bragging rights.

What's next

European football beckons for the second season out of the last three. But the success-starved fans at one of Germany's biggest clubs will expect exactly the same, or better, from Favre and friends next time out. On paper, at least, Gladbach might even have the sort of squad required for a realistic charge towards the Europa League - something that proved beyond Freiburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart this season.

Grade: B

A meager 22 points in the second half of the Bundesliga season stopped Gladbach from reaching the Champions League. This, coupled with the German Cup first-round exit on penalties against lower-league Darmstadt, stopped the Foals from winning top marks for a solid campaign.