Dominik Kohr must have felt like a youth hostel father on Wednesday evening. In the second half of the friendly against RCD Mallorca B, the 28-year-old FSV Mainz 05 midfielder was almost exclusively surrounded by youngsters. Apart from Aymen Barkok, all the other players who coach Bo Svensson sent onto the field after the break were in the U19s or U23s or could still play there. Apart from that, with the exception of the two former Frankfurt players, they were all homegrown from the youth academy on Bruchweg.
And the talented players not only did a good job at 3:1 (0:1), but significantly better than the team of seven seasoned professionals in the first half. A lot of attention was drawn to Brajan Gruda, an A-youth who scored the equaliser. “You can see why he will train with us from January,” said Svensson. “If you watch him you can imagine how dominant he is in U19 games.”
A youth on master class
The Mainz A-Juniors are stronger this season than they have been for a long time, they lead the south/southwest relay of the Bundesliga after ten match days with 28 points. The squad nourishes hope for a second championship title after 2009, at that time under a largely unknown coach Thomas Tuchel. But standing out among the youngsters is not enough, says Svensson. The best players have to take the next step, “and we have to help them with that”.
Mainz signed 18-year-old Gruda a few weeks ago because, as Svensson explains, he has all the components he needs for a Bundesliga career: speed, athleticism, understanding of the game and, above all, mentality. “He has already taken part in a number of training sessions with us. If you don’t know he’s still playing in his youth, you don’t see it.”
On target nationally: Nelson Weiper against SC Freiburg
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Image: IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Gruda is one reason, but not the only one, for the reluctance of those responsible for 05 when the conversation comes to possible offensive signings in the winter break. Should Jonathan Burkardt be out for a longer period of time after spraining his knee, which stems from the game against Eintracht Frankfurt, but was initially treated conservatively but had an arthroscopic operation on Monday this week, they would certainly take action. But they don’t assume that. Rather, sports director Martin Schmidt expects the 22-year-old to at least be back on the bench in the first Bundesliga game of the new year.
Weiper’s recommendation: 16 goals in ten youth Bundesliga games
The perspective is more uncertain in the case of Marlon Mustapha, whose thigh suffered from a horse kiss in mid-September has grown into a major problem. “The main strand of the muscle was badly crushed,” reports Schmidt. The 21-year-old attacker had to undergo two surgeries. “But he’s still not in full flexion.”
The coach could not plan with Mustapha’s imminent return, but the club wanted to compensate for this loss with his talents. Plural – after all, in Nelson Weiper, another German junior national player is pushing up. The 17-year-old, who was born in Mainz and has an interim record of 16 goals in ten A youth Bundesliga games, is absent from the training camp in Mallorca because of his Abitur exams. “From mid-January his head will be clear again, then we will experience his power and efficiency,” enthuses Schmidt. “Then we attack,” says Svensson.
What Bo Svensson says applies to Weiper, Gruda and basically also to Ben Bobzien, who has been part of the professional squad since this season: “It is my job to make them Bundesliga players as quickly as possible.” What role do the two youngsters, center forward Weiper and According to Svensson, Gruda, who can be used flexibly in all offensive positions from eight to double lead, can play in professional football? “Nelson is already able to set accents,” promises the coach. And Schmidt says about Gruda: “We trust him that he can be good for big surprises.”
