“Confident and fully focused” 05ers begin the new year of training

With an almost full squad of players, albeit without head coach Bo Henriksen, the 1. FSV Mainz 05 first team began preparations for their first competitive match of 2025 on Thursday afternoon in front of around 200 fans. The FSV players have just over a week to prepare for the home game against VfL Bochum at the MEWA ARENA on Saturday 11th January (kick-off 15:30 CET). That game marks the start of a busy schedule with matches away in Leverkusen (Tuesday 14th January, 20:30 CET) and away to Union Berlin (Sunday 19th January, 15:30 CET) to follow shortly afterwards.

Mainz are hoping to continue where they left off, on a strong run of form at the back end of last year. The team were able to celebrate a particularly enjoyable Christmas period following two consecutive wins against tough opponents from Munich and Frankfurt. “We need to remain alert and not simply expect the good form to continue on its own,” emphasised sporting director Niko Bungert when speaking to the media. “Our recipe for success was giving it 100 per cent every week and I know that’s something the lads will carry on doing. They need to use that winning feeling while not underestimating Bochum. We are confident, but also fully focused.” Stefan Bell described the current mood in camp as “super,” and went on to say, “We know how special the last calendar year was for us, how well we performed. The first half of this season has also gone very well so far. Our task now is to keep it up, not to rest on our laurels after winning against some big-name opponents, but to remain hungry and keep improving.”

Five players absent while five youth talents take part

While head coach Henriksen missed the session due to a stomach bug, five players were unable to take part at the start of training this year for various reasons. Karim Onisiwo's transfer to join Austrian side RB Salzburg was officially announced shortly before the start of training. Jonny Burkardt (rehab after muscle injury), Gabriel Vidovic (rehab after ankle surgery), Maxim Dal (individual training) and Silvan Widmer (calf muscle problems) were also absent from the training pitch next to the Bruchwegstadion. However, five young players who are set to feature in the friendly match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Bruchwegstadion on Sunday (15:00 CET, behind closed doors), Philipp Schulz, Jason Amann, goalkeeper Maximilian Kinzig (U23s) and Kacper Potulski and Mika Preßler (U19s), bolstered the first team squad for Thursday’s training session. Two more training sessions open to the public are planned for Friday and Saturday at 11:00 CET at Bruchweg. Raúl König, another U19 player, will also join first team training.

Sporting director Niko Bungert spoke about…

...Karim Onisiwo’s transfer: “Karim told us of his desire for the move, wanting to return to Austria to be closer to family. He also hopes to get more playing time there. He has served Mainz incredibly well, so his departure also hurts on a personal level, since he was very popular within the squad. When a player who has given so much, someone who has been here for almost ten years and is our Bundesliga record goalscorer, expresses a desire like this, we are not going to stand in their way so we organised the move with Karim and Salzburg.”

...the impact of the departure on the squad: “Karim was fourth choice up top after Jonny Burkardt, Armindo Sieb and Nelson Weiper. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much playing time in the first half of this season, which was one of the factors that led to the transfer. As a result, there is no need for us to find an immediate replacement. Nevertheless, we will obviously keep our eyes open for potential transfers if necessary.”

... Jonny Burkardt’s fitness: “Jonny is doing well under the circumstances. He will definitely be back out on the training pitch in the next few days and only then can we know whether he could make the starting XI for the upcoming matches. He’s on the right track, though.”

...potential new signings: “We have plenty of options up front but we could certainly do with some new additions for those supporting positions in attack. That’s what we’re primarily keeping our eyes open for at the moment, although we aren’t pressured to make a move. Lee and Paul have played almost every game in this position and have performed at such a high level of quality. Hong is also a possibility and Sieb and Burkardt can fill in if needed. We do have options, but it is in this position where we are most likely to bring someone in.”