After ten games, 1. FSV Mainz 05 is in 17th place in the Bundesliga with just five points. Coach Bo Henriksen, who saved the club from relegation in 2024 and led them into the European Cup a year later, is currently no longer successful. There are reasons for the crisis in Rheinhessen.
Mainz 05 is experiencing exactly the opposite of last season this Bundesliga season. Close games, like for example against Cologne (0:1), Leipzig (0:1), Bremen (1:1) or Wolfsburg (1:1) are not won. This has been a common theme throughout the season so far. Players like Paul Nebel, Nadiem Amiri or Jae-Sung Lee currently cannot match their performance. Some players in the team obviously “overperformed” in the past season. This is also why there are two parts of the team in which there is an acute need for action.
The offensive: Jonathan Burkardt could not be replaced
Mainz 05 lacks penetration in attack this season. After the departure of national player Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt), the replacement of the center forward position has not yet been successful. Mainz’s record transfer Benedict Hollerbach – brought in from Union Berlin for around 10 million euros – injured his thigh on the first matchday and was out for several weeks. Since his return to the pitch, the attacker, who tends to come from the wings and was not hired as a pure Burkardt replacement, has often lacked connection to the game. In the Bundesliga he is still waiting for his first goal for Mainz 05. Only a goal in the Conference League against Florence the 24-year-old has on his account.
With a view to the classic center forward position, the club hoped that Nelson Weiper would take the next step and follow in Burkardt’s footsteps. Weiper, who played outstanding games at the U21 European Championships together with Nick Woltemade in the summer, has currently disappeared into obscurity. 05 coach Bo Henriksen usually only substitutes him for the final minutes in the Bundesliga, if at all.
Another drawback: no ball wins through high pressing (like the only win of the season so far in Augsburg) the 05ers hardly manage to create chances. During the winter break, the club needs to improve the center forward position.
Possible candidates for the storm
A dream reinforcement would be Niklas Füllkrug, who wants to leave his club West Ham United as quickly as possible. Füllkrug would ideally like to be rented out until summer – the main thing is to get away from London. The 32-year-old wants to play, present himself – preferably in Germany – and recommend himself for the 2026 World Cup. The problem is his salary. He is said to earn between four and five million euros net on the island. Even if he forgoes part of his salary and West Ham participates, the deal remains almost unattainable for Mainz 05.
Robert Glatzel’s commitment is closer. One of his qualities: Glatzel can hold balls with his back to the goal, is a good header player and has the mentality required in Mainz. He is currently on the sidelines at Hamburger SV because the newly promoted team has changed its game idea. Glatzel no longer fits in there and wants to leave. The trained center forward also has Mainz experience and played for the 05er a few years ago. Glatzel would be the cheaper solution.
Jonas Wind from VfL Wolfsburg or Isac Lidberg from Darmstadt 98 would also be interesting players for the FSV center forward position. The fact is: relegation would be more expensive for Mainz 05 than a costly new winter signing.
The defense: Far too many goals
Mainz 05 have conceded an average of almost two goals per Bundesliga game so far this season. The Rheinhessen have not kept a clean sheet in a championship game since February 2025. After Moritz Jenz left in the summer, Mainz no longer has a defense chief. Here too, no adequate replacement was committed. The five-man defense chain changes its formation almost every game. There are also individual mistakes that cost points – like Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s shortly before the end against Werder Bremen.
Anthony Caci has been on a long-term injury since Mainz’s win in Augsburg in mid-September; the Frenchman is out until 2026 with a hamstring injury. The commitment of a central defender to stabilize the defense is urgently needed.
Possible candidates for defense
Marvin Friedrich from Borussia Mönchengladbach is an experienced central defender. The 29-year-old will only be used sporadically this season under new Borussia coach Eugen Polanski. Friedrich knows the relegation battle and can organize a defense from the headquarters. He would be someone who could stabilize the 05 defense in the short term.
Kevin Akpoguma is currently in the service of TSG Hoffenheim. The 30-year-old was mostly a regular player until the current season. Akpoguma is considered to be very communicative. The TSG central defender is a physically strong player who has only made two short appearances this season. He no longer seems to play a role for TSG coach Christian Ilzer. His willingness to change should be there.
Coach Bo Henriksen and the crisis with Mainz 05
Bo Henriksen achieved a football miracle with Mainz 05 in the 2023/2024 season. He took over the Rheinhessen on Carnival 2023 with a nine-point deficit to the saving bank. The Dane has set Mainz on fire again. The following season he even led the club into the Conference League. It only ever went up. Now he has a good list for the first time in his time in Mainz.
However, the 50-year-old enjoys unconditional support at the club. Sports director Christian Heidel explains that there is no coaching discussion. They sit together every week and are still convinced that Henriksen is the right man.
What is striking is that Henriksen usually changes very late in the game. Critics say he should give Weiper a chance more often from the start. The U21 national player usually only received this in the Conference League. The Mainz squad is not deep enough in terms of width. Unlike Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen or Frankfurt, the performance gap between the first eleven and the bench is too high. Coach Henriksen can’t change that in the current situation.
Conclusion: Europe costs grains in everyday life
Mainz 05 is in a similar situation to Hoffenheim, Heidenheim and, with some reservations, Stuttgart last season. All three clubs played in Europe – all three had major problems in the league to reach their level from the previous year. Hoffenheim and Heidenheim were almost relegated.
What Mainz 05 is currently experiencing is a bit of the “curse of the good deed”. You could also say: homemade, because you didn’t want to take more financial risk with new signings because of a European Cup season.
Mainz 05 is having a crisis in results in the Bundesliga. There is still no indication of a total slump in the statistical game data. In the 0-1 defeat in Frankfurt For example, the Mainz team ran almost three kilometers more than their opponents. However, the double burden of the Conference League is still heavier than expected. Although mental fatigue cannot be measured numerically, it also leads to mistakes that can decide games.
The truth is also: Mainz 05 have only gotten 13 points from their last 19 games across the season. That is the record of a relegated team. Nevertheless, the 05 fans remain close to 05 coach Bo Henriksen. Also on Friday in the home game against TSG Hoffenheim.
Broadcast on Thursday, November 20th, 2025 at 7:30 p.m., SWR Aktuell Rhineland-Palatinate, SWR RLP
