“Everybody needs to have this mentality”

FSV’s next game is a tricky one, away to VfB Stuttgart in third place on Sunday (15:30 CET). This matchday 21 clash is particularly difficult for Mainz after only managing a draw in midweek against Union Berlin. “The lads showed that they will fight for the cause and that they can get something from games if they go about it the right way,” said Jan Siewert at the pre-match press conference on Friday. The head coach also discussed his team’s focus and his squad after the last two home games. Around 1,600 fans will make the journey south as FSV look to finally secure their second win of the campaign.

“Already played well against the league’s best sides”

There is no doubt that everyone at the club wanted more than just a point from the last two home games over the last week. Ultimately, only victories will reduce the gap between the 05ers and the teams above them in the table. Going into matchday 21 against the high-flying Swabians, the head coach has taken confidence from performances like the one that secured a draw at Dortmund just before Christmas. “The team showed that they can compete away from home against a top side,” he reflected.

VfB are currently in the top four and have been extremely consistent this season. However, they have also had a busy week, losing narrowly at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal in an intense game. “Stuttgart are flexible with their build-up play and positioning. Our challenge will be to be brave against them, whilst not giving them space in behind. If we do that, the key will be to get the ball forwards quickly to get in behind their defence,” stated Siewert.

Bild: Jae-sung Lee returned to training on Friday after taking part in the Asian Cup.

A few personnel decisions to be made after an exhausting game against Union

The rearranged fixture against Union certainly left its mark on Ludovic Ajorque. The big centre forward suffered a broken nose on Wednesday night. “The damage to Ludo’s face when he came off just really symbolised the relegation battle we’re in. This is the kind of mentality we need everyone to have. He led from the front in that game and everybody else needs to follow suit. All players need to understand this and fight for the team. It’s obviously taxing on the body, which is why we have given the team enough time to recover and then looked at our best tactics for getting a result in Stuttgart,” said Siewert.

Siewert has nonetheless had to be careful with his players’ fitness levels after the two home games over the past week. “Ludo trained with a mask for the first time today. We’ll see how he copes with that, but he’s a real fighter. I’ll use the final two training sessions to see who is really ready for Sunday and who can give their all,” stressed the 41-year-old. A decision on Brajan Gruda, Andreas Hanche-Olsen and captain Silvan Widmer will also be made after the training sessions, with the coaches needing to see how they deal with the workload. Jae-sung Lee has returned from international duty and trained for the first time again on Friday afternoon. Stefan Bell and Nelson Weiper remained absent.

Full focus on Stuttgart

Despite the pressure on the side growing with each game, Siewert is still trying to bring a lot of energy to the table for his players. “We immediately switched our focus to Stuttgart after the Union game. I’m still full of energy as we look to go in the right direction and get what we deserve for all our hard work. We need to be better in the final third at both ends of the pitch to decide games in our favour. We have to start taking our chances,” demanded the head coach.

According to Siewert, everybody has to fulfil their own role and give their all on the pitch, as always. “It’s about taking responsibility for the club and putting all our focus on beating a tricky opponent. That’s all I’m thinking about right now.”