Barreiro: “We have a lot of responsibility”

Just four days after the game, Leandro Barreiro had already analysed and crossed off the defeat against FC Bayern München. The ruthless efficiency of the champions, individual errors for the goals conceded, bad in-game luck and missed chances: the homegrown Mainz talent and his teammates want to take the positives into their next match on Friday evening (20:30 CEST) at second-last side VfL Bochum. He’s fully aware that after eight matchdays without a win, the 05ers are desperate for that long-awaited victory. “We have a lot of responsibility to get the three points,” says Barreiro, who like everyone at the club is conscious of the task at hand.

With every passing matchday, the situation gets more and more precarious for the 05ers, who currently sit bottom of the table with two points. Despite this, Mainz are remaining as calm as always. Bo Svensson and his coaching staff are working daily on improving their chances of winning a game. FSV have been more in many of the matches in the last few weeks, including a performance with plenty of fight against Bayern. “We’re doing a lot of things well, but it hasn’t yet led to us getting what we deserve. There are a lot of factors playing a role,” says Barreiro, who emphasises the team’s mindset of never giving up. “We’ll have to keep doing that, because it’s not getting any easier. It’s a positive for the team to stick together and face this.” A clear plan, direct communication and working daily on each aspect are all equally important. “We’re doing all that, and the structure and chemistry of the team are good. I feel like it’s clicking for us.” These are all things that will be vital for the rest of the season in order to work their way off the bottom of the table.

A different game to the one against Bayern

As early as Friday evening at Castroper Straße in Bochum, these factors will once again be of crucial importance in order to take something positive away from a game which is so important for both clubs and to finally pick up a win. The midfielder admitted that there’s a certain pressure in a situation like this. “Therefore, it’s important to keep our emotions in check,” said Barreiro, who’s looking forward to the game under the floodlights. “It’s not the first time – I’m used to games against Bochum. Every individual duel will be crucial. We are playing away from home and Bochum’s fans are very loud. We need to adjust to their way of playing and understand that it will be different to Bayern. Individual duels and long balls will have more importance on Friday. We need to discuss this clearly and work on our different options to deal with them and gain an advantage.”

Added to that, the 05ers will have their fans behind them – they are appreciative of Mainz’s upturn in performances and there will be more than 2,500 Mainz fans present in Bochum. “That’s important for us and it gives us a lot of strength seeing them rooting for us. Naturally, they’re also justifiably unsatisfied with the results and some of our performances. During this period, it’s about tackling everything together. I know the fans and know that it’s very important for them to see that we are giving everything.”

Celebrating every individual duel

The 23-year-old, who has started all eight games so far, will also play an important role for FSV on Friday with his presence in midfield and his ability to win individual duels. “We need to feel good about the little things, celebrate every individual duel, push ourselves and continue to strengthen this feeling. Personally, I’ll give the group everything I’ve got to increase the likelihood of us winning the game.”