Defensively stable, more precise in attack

No one at 1. FSV Mainz 05 was particularly happy about the unwanted break caused by the postponement of their game against Union Berlin last weekend (rescheduled for Wednesday, 7th February at 18:30 CET in the MEWA ARENA). “We’d rather have played,” stressed Jan Siewert at the press conference ahead of the second competitive game of the year. On Friday (20:30 CET at Deutsche Bank Park), the 05ers face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Rhine-Main derby. The 05 head coach and his team were nevertheless able to use this long preparation time to continue working on and focusing on the important things and travel from the Rhine to the Main in a good state of mind. “We’re playing this game to win.” 3,100 fans will support Mainz in Frankfurt, with a large number of fans travelling in 30 fan buses due to train strikes.

Small steps lead to a giant leap

Siewert has watched back the first game of the second round of fixtures against VfL Wolfsburg, in which the 05ers went home with a point, in order to work out what needs to go better on Friday evening to pick up three more vital points in the battle against relegation. In training sessions, they worked on defensive positioning on counterattacks as well as creating clear-cut chances in the final third. The 05ers were also looking to create a good feeling through various shots, and therefore be able to take their chances better against Eintracht than they did against Wolfsburg or in the weeks before the winter break.

After the win over Leipzig in Siewert’s first game and five draws, FSV are yet to make huge strides in terms of points during the battle against relegation. “It’s now about making another big leap, but we can only achieve that through victories. We’ve got the opportunity to do that at Eintracht,” said the 05 head coach, who is obviously aware of their difficult situation towards the lower echelons of the division. “It’s all very close and we still have the entire second round of fixtures ahead of us. “We’re doing everything we can as a unit to get away from the bottom of the table.” Giving up is never an option at Mainz 05.

Defensive stability is the basis

The renewed defensive stability under Siewert will also be the basis of FSV’s game at Eintracht. This development has been an important step, according to Siewert. “The team are very happy with it. It’s important that the players have a feeling of security, compactness and confidence in their own ranks.”

In addition to their approach off the ball, they are also looking to develop their attacking game. Not only against Wolfsburg, but also in the games before the winter break, the 05 attack was often missing the composure, precision or positioning in the final third or in front of the opponent’s goal in order to score more often and turn draws into wins. “These are things which you can work on with the boys. We want to give them confidence in their respective positions to create chances to score a goal,” said Siewert.

Causing trouble through aggression

By playing their own game, says the Mainz head coach, the 05ers can get a result at Deutsche Bank Park – where the hosts have suffered only one defeat all season. Their 2-2 draw in the Hesse derby at Darmstadt, having led 2-0, showed that clearly. But Siewert also knows about the strengths of the Hesse-based side, which his side will have to contain. “They are very fluid in their build-up play, primarily with the aim of creating an overload on the wing and thus getting high up the pitch.” Frankfurt are, generally speaking, a team which places great value on dictating the game with the ball. Keeping Frankfurt away from their own goal and getting them into trouble by pressing aggressively offers an opportunity to combat this. The Darmstadt team displayed that approach for their goals. “These are things that we can take up ourselves.”
 
This is how the squad looks
 
 On the personnel front, things are looking good for the Rhine-Main clash. Nelson Weiper and Stefan Bell are still taking part in their recovery programmes, and are out of the picture for Friday’s squad. Jae-sung Lee and South Korea have progressed to the Asian Cup Round of 16, and the midfielder thus continues to be unavailable for FSV.