Eight match days are over. Mainz 05 is in 16th place in the table with just four points. Mainz have been in a slump in form for weeks. There is no noticeable increase in performance.
You have to go slowly Worry about 1. FSV Mainz 05. The Rheinhessen have not really been able to convince in any game this season. In the league, this can be easily seen from the table; the relegation place reflects the level of performance very well. In Mainz they can be happy that Heidenheim and Mönchengladbach are currently even worse and Augsburg and St. Pauli also don’t score points regularly.
Not a game at the top level
If you look closely, coach Bo Henriksen’s team has only played well in two of 13 competitive games so far this season. The exceptions were the 4-1 win in Augsburg in the Bundesliga and the really strong 4-1 win in the European Cup relegation second leg against Trondheim.
As a result, the 05ers were able to reach the group phase of the Conference League, undoubtedly the greatest sporting success in recent years in the club’s history. The first two of a total of six games in the league phase were won internationally, but if you look closely, the opponents were of a manageable European standard.
Mainz minimalism
In Nicosia and also at home against Mostar The Bundesliga professionals found it very difficult for long stretches. The two 1-0 wins were minimalist and masked the true current performance.
And the 1-0 win in the first round of the DFB Cup at Dynamo Dresden in mid-August was more happy than confident. The defeats in the league against Cologne, Leipzig, Dortmund, Hamburg, Leverkusen and Stuttgart were always deserved across the entire season.
Only two players come close to their previous season’s form, the defense is shaky
Mainz obviously have their problems defensively. Stefan Bell, Danny da Costa and Dominik Kohr played above average last season. The yellow or even yellow-red cards against Kohr weaken the team.
Mainz only play solidly and well in the defensive midfield with Nadiem Amiri and Kaishu Sano. The Japanese Sano plays his strong game week after week and is indispensable. The German national player Amiri is the reason why Mainz were able to celebrate one or two successes.
His goals in the cup and the Conference League were vital for both competitions – and if Mainz hadn’t already been awarded three penalties in the league, all of which Amiri converted, things would look even bleaker around the training center on Mainzer Bruchweg.
Best example of the form crisis: Phillipp Mwene
Individual players, like the Austrian Phillipp Mwene, are of course not to blame for the current sporting misery. Mwene in particular can serve as a symbol. He and the team were able to conceal his tactical weaknesses well last year. Mwene is in crisis. The right-footer can rarely use his pace on the left wing.
Celebrations in front of the VfB curve: Nadiem Amiri apologizes
Nadiem Amiri from 1. FSV Mainz 05 apologized for his goal celebration in front of the opposing fan curve after the game at VfB Stuttgart (1:2). “That wasn’t right in this situation. I would like to apologize to you for this behavior,” wrote the offensive player in an Instagram post addressed to the Stuttgart fans. During the Bundesliga game, a Mainz supporter was treated and resuscitated by paramedics for more than 20 minutes before he was taken to hospital, according to the club. Although the game continued while supplies were provided in the stands, both fan camps temporarily stopped supporting them. Shortly after the stadium announcer gave the all-clear, Amiri scored with a hand penalty to give Mainz the lead and ran in front of the Stuttgart curve. “I was not aware of the extent of the situation at that moment, my cheering in your direction was not appropriate,” Amiri wrote.
Mwene also has his problems on the right side, like in Stuttgart, often standing wrong, not getting there at all or losing important duels that lead to dangerous situations or, in the worst case, even conceding goals. The Austrian international urgently needs a breather to return to his strengths. However, the lack of alternatives in his position does not allow him to do so.
Striker Jonny Burkardt cannot be replaced
What certainly weighs the heaviest, is the departure of striker Jonathan Burkardt. His qualities in finishing, but also generally in offensive play, currently seem irreplaceable for the 05ers. Burkardt is now presenting his strengths in Frankfurt, neither talent Nelson Weiper nor new signing Benedict Hollerbach are showing Burkardt’s level on the pitch these days.
When will Christian Heidel speak out?
If things don’t go well in Mainz, then it’s actually only a matter of time before sports director Christian Heidel comes on the scene. The experienced manager Heidel has stayed in the background in recent months and, in successes and failures alike, has left the stage to others.
Slowly, and given the current results it seems only a matter of days, Heidel will have to answer the questions that are already arising: Why are the new signings not (yet) taking off? And above all: How long can coach Bo Henriksen continue to work in peace if he continues to be unsuccessful?
The Dane’s external power and passion are obviously still there. But are they also in the cabin? In any case, the team no longer implements it on the pitch and so many questions remain about Mainz 05 in their current form crisis.
Broadcast on Monday, October 27th, 2025 at 6:00 a.m., SWR Aktuell in the morning, SWR Aktuell
