At the end of the season, Mainz 05 had to make up for the departure of captain Moussa Niakhaté. The team is still in the discovery phase.
That’s how last season went
In the course of the past season, a dictum spread among the fans at the latest in the second half of the season. There was talk of ‘Mainz 0.5’, because the FSV somehow only did half things over the entire lap. Or to put it another way: hui at home, ugh abroad. Only SpVgg Greuther Fürth was more harmless abroad, in the home table Mainz ranked fourth behind Bayern, BVB and RB Leipzig.
YouTube video from SWR Sport: “Mainz beats Hertha 2-1 in Berlin – DEIN FSV #32 | SWR Sport”
The expected disappointment about just missing out on a place in the European Cup – six points short of 1. FC Köln in seventh place – did not materialize. After the relegation thriller season 2020/21, in which FSV only stayed in the Bundesliga with 32 points in the second half of the season, the place in the secured mid-table was balm for the battered fan soul. A 3-1 home win against FC Bayern and a win in the last away game at Hertha BSC rounded off a decent season. “Fortunately, we’ve shown how good we really are in the last three games. That was important for the overall picture of the season,” said coach Bo Svensson.
Who comes? Who is going?
The bloodletting in central defense hurts in particular. With captain Moussa Niakhaté, the defender and leader of the 05ers, left the club to England and not only leaves a gap on the field that needs to be filled. Second departure from the defense center: Jeremiah St. Juste. However, with St Juste only playing eight games last season due to injury problems, his departure is more bearable than Niakhaté’s. There are also Jean-Paul Boetius, Kevin Stöger and long-running favorite Daniel Brosinski. “These are all guys who gave a lot to the group,” said Svensson. “It has to be rearranged, but you need experiences together that connect. It has to be organic.”
With Maxim Leitsch has Mainz 05 his dream central defender committed by VfL Bochum. His profile is reminiscent of that of Niakhaté, but he won’t be able to replace him on his own – especially since he still has to get used to the new formation himself. “I’ve never played a back three. It’s clear that it will take a while before I’m in, but we’re making good progress,” said the former U21 international, who has only played a back four in Bochum.
With Anthony Caci came a new left-back who can also help out in central defense in an emergency. The 25-year-old, who came from Racing Strasbourg, is also considered a standard specialist. It took the route from Eintracht Frankfurt to Bruchweg Trio Dominik Kohr, Danny Da Costa and Aymen Barkok on themselves. Kohr was signed after his loan and is an important pillar in defensive midfield. Da Costa knows the club from his guest appearance in the second half of the 2020/21 season and should compete with top dog Silvan Widmer on the right side of defence.
The last one for now New signing is Angelo Fulgini. The playmaker came from the French first division club Angers SCO and, according to sports director Martin Schmidt, “in terms of player profile, we were missing something like that in the squad.” It will be exciting to see how quickly the former French youth international finds his way in the Mainz offensive system. Squad planning is complete, but the budget leaves room for reaction in the event of injuries.
The trainer
Since last season at the latest, the whole of football Germany has known that Bo Svensson can get loud. With seven yellow cards, the FSV coach set a negative record last season – even if one or the other warning from the referees was easy. Svensson promised to improve, but it became apparent in the training camp that he could not completely turn off his impulsive nature. When he was dissatisfied with his team’s approach to training, he quickly knocked the ball from the center circle to the crossbar – including an announcement to the team afterwards.
After taking up his post a year and a half ago, Svensson has now restructured the squad according to his ideas. The Dane continues to attach great importance to maintaining the typical Mainz football of stable defense and quick transitions. Nevertheless, he expects a playful improvement from his team. So far it hasn’t happened. “If you look at the processes and also the individual players, they are currently not where we would like them to be,” Svensson summed up after the game Season dress rehearsal against Athletic Bilbao.
YouTube video from SWR Sport: “Mainz at the training camp in Grassau YOUR FSV #35 | SWR Sport”
expectations for the season
The expectations at Mainz 05 have not changed for years. The clearly formulated goal is to stay up in the league. “We should aim to have a stable season and not have anything to do with relegation,” said striker Jonathan Burkardt. “After that we can see what’s next. The most important thing is that you can see in every game that we are Mainz 05.”
What gives hope: FSV is much more flexible in attack than in the previous season. Delano Burgzorg is on the way back to full performance after his corona infection and subsequent heart muscle inflammation. Marcus Ingvartsen would like to finally gain a foothold after a difficult first season in Mainz with many minor injuries. There is also 21-year-old Marlon Mustapha, who has made a good and physically strong impression after his loan return.
Another goal, which does not have the highest priority, is a good performance in the DFB Cup. Sport director Christian Heidel has been dreaming of playing with his club in the final in Berlin for years. Mainz took the first step on Sunday at third division club Erzgebirge Aue (3-0). The time before the start of the season is getting tighter, because as Bo Svensson attested after Bilbao: “We still have a lot of work ahead of us.”
