Jan Siewert: “Here to help the players”

Jan Siewert’s full focus up until Thursday afternoon was on the next opponents for the U23s, Kickers Offenbach. However, since Bo Svensson left his role as the club’s head coach, Siewert’s responsibilities have now changed. The existing U23s boss has now taken over from Svensson and has prepared the team for the home game against RB Leipzig on Saturday (15:30 CEST).  Siewert has assumed responsibility of an FSV side still without a league win this season, as they are set to face an extremely good team in Leipzig. The 41-year-old wants to “get into the heads of his players” as quickly as possible, aiming to clear their minds before Saturday’s home game in order to perform well with the fans behind them. “Anything is possible if we do that. We need to give something back to the fans and the club,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Friday alongside Christian Heidel.

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUOTES FROM JAN SIEWERT

Stepping up to become head coach: "Christian sent me a message on Thursday on the way back from Berlin. That normally happens, but it’s mostly about the U23s or certain players. I waited for our meeting and was then honestly surprised what happened and that I’m sat here now. I spoke to Bo this morning and I’m sad that he’s no longer the head coach here. We had a fantastic relationship with one another, which started when I was head of the academy, before moving on to be U23s coach.”

The lack of time to prepare for Leipzig: "I’ve used every second I’ve had up until now – I don’t think I’ve even slept! The facts are that anything is possible. Anybody that’s seen a home game of ours knows the kind of energy that can be created together with the fans in the stadium. The most important thing is that our entire focus is on the game. We have to clear the minds of the players for this. The biggest kind of energy we have in Mainz is the one generated by the club and fans together. We need to give something back to the fans and the club.”

"We need to give something back”

His personal future: "My full focus is on the game against Leipzig. I know what I can bring to the table and that’s important for us all. I’m not thinking much about my future right now, but rather how I can help have a positive impact on the team for tomorrow’s game.”

The squad: "Brajan Gruda suffered a blow to his foot in Berlin and there’s now a wound there. We therefore tried to give him as much rest as possible and he’s got a chance of playing still. Stefan Bell also has a minor issue. We’ve had some busy days, so we’ll have to sit down together and then look at things more closely.”

“We will have a clear plan for the game and a clear idea of how the lads can hopefully play without any fear”

How he wants to build the team back up again: "I need to clear the minds of the players. I was also somewhat confused by the current situation – I always saw a tight-knit group under Bo. As a result of that, I’m only part of the solution. I want to be there to help the lads. I’ve already worked intensely for a number of hours, but this is the first time that I’ve met the team. It’s all about getting to know them and working out what they need. I’ll have to have a number of one-on-one conversations with them, as well as tactical discussions to help us get a positive result at home. There are lots of things involved. We will have a clear plan for the game and a clear idea of how the lads can hopefully play without any fear. I think that’s what we all need right now.”

The tactics and structure of the team: "For us, it’s important to stick to the existing tactics and structure. My focus was to take over from the current staff members. The lads know how everything works and can help me. Everything else will be sorted after the Leipzig game.”

The opponents from Leipzig: “We could sit here for ages and list their strengths, but that doesn’t make much sense for me because I know the good things we can do too. The two teams have a similar style of play. We will have chances if we play with intensity at both ends of the pitch and do well on the ball. This team needs aggression and intensity, that’s what I’ve seen over the last three years. We want creativity on the ball, that’s something we’ve done well for years too. There are a number of things that can work against Leipzig. The key aspects will be our team selection and how we play to our strengths and cancel theirs out.”