If there was an award for fiery football teacher speeches, Bo Henriksen would have won it this week. Although the coach of FSV Mainz 05 said in between that the situation required active action and that talking was “bullshit,” his remarks represented a rousing appeal: to the team, to the coaching staff, to the fans. Henriksen’s performance was in extreme contrast to that of his players the previous weekend.
Whether the 8-1 defeat at FC Bayern Munich after three good to very good performances under the third coach this season – even if only rewarded with four points – meant another turning point for the worse will be seen this Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ). Live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) for the game against VfL Bochum. One of those opponents who are high on the list of teams to beat in order to make up ground in the fight for the relegation place or at least not to lose any more.
Nine points are quickly caught up
Although it may sound a bit absurd given Mainz’s season so far, a win would bring the 05ers within six points of VfL and make them direct competitors, possibly also Union Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg. Clubs that hardly anyone thinks are within reach of the people of Rheinhessen.
As a reminder: Three years ago, Werder Bremen moved into midfield with 30 points after 25 match days and put nine points between themselves and Mainz. A sure thing? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that. By the end of the season, Bremen only got one point and were relegated to 17th place in the table – and coach Bo Svensson led Mainz to twelfth place in one of the greatest comebacks in European football history.
Of course, the question arises as to whether the Mainz squad has what it takes to survive in the relegation battle. At least one major problem that ran like a dark red thread through the season so far seems to have been resolved: According to the coach, all players except for striker Nelson Weiper (retraining after two knee operations) and central defender Stefan Bell (inflammation of myocardium) are available. There hasn’t been that much choice this season, so training is intense.
Since the coaching change from Svensson to Jan Siewert in November, the backline has been largely relied upon. If you exclude the defeat in Munich, in which the 05ers showed a defensive behavior that is typical of youth teams of the youngest years, only Stuttgart (1:3) and Leverkusen (1:2) conceded more than one goal, They even kept a clean sheet four times. And this despite the fact that the line-up in the chain is forced to change every week. That would have even been enough for a draw with the league leaders if a harmless ball hadn’t slipped over goalkeeper Robin Zentner’s fingers.
The biggest drawback is the offensive
In Sepp van den Berg, Josuha Guilavogui, Edimilson Fernandes and Andreas Hanche-Olsen, four central defenders are competing for three places in the starting line-up, which have repeatedly proven that they can be stable. Dominik Kohr, who is strong but always in danger of receiving a yellow card and who Henriksen expects to lead the way, could move back into midfield, while Leandro Barreiro also moves into the defensive midfield after also overcoming his suspension.
Nadiem Amiri, who arrived in the winter, immediately made himself indispensable as an attacking six, and as a set-piece shooter anyway. More forward momentum in the game must come from the wings. More dangerous crosses from Silvan Widmer, who had almost no alternative on the right side due to Danny da Costa’s lack of form, on the left from Phillipp Mwene or Anthony Caci, who was recently needed in the defense center.
This text comes from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
The biggest drawback is the offensive. Since the 2-0 win against RB Leipzig in the first game under Siewert, the team has scored a maximum of once per game; only 1.FC Cologne has scored fewer than the total of 20 goals (19). In the rarest of cases this was due to a lack of opportunities, usually it was a lack of effectiveness.
There was also a lack of personnel alternatives for long stretches. Karim Onisiwo was repeatedly dealing with illnesses and injuries, Jonathan Burkardt came back from a year-long break and is making an impact, but is not yet in his old form. Jae-sung Lee was in a slump for a long time and then at the Asian Championships, Ludovic Ajorque couldn’t get out of his performance hole for months.
A comment from Peter H. Eisenhuth Published/Updated: Peter H. Eisenhuth Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Peter H. Eisenhuth, Mainz Published/Updated:
And 19-year-old Brajan Gruda, the most talented footballer in the squad, impresses with his dribbling and passion, but still too often misses the right moment to finish. Marco Richter has rarely proven his suitability for the Bundesliga as a back-up for the attack; The same applies to midfielder Tom Krauss.
Is that enough to keep the class? Yes, as long as Bo Henriksen manages to inject more power into his offense. If Mainz’s harmlessness doesn’t change, only happy coincidences will lead to relegation.
