Siewert: “It doesn’t have to look pretty”

“Our momentum has to turn around at some point,” Siewert told the media in his press conference at the MEWA ARENA on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the rearranged game against Union Berlin on Wednesday evening (18:30 CET). The relegation battle is escalating for FSV, with the unlucky 1-0 defeat against Werder Bremen last weekend placing the 05ers in an even more precarious position. Nevertheless, the clash against Union offers Jan Siewert’s side a great opportunity to close the gap to 15th place to three points with a win at home. This is the head coach and his team’s clear goal, as FSV aren’t even considering the possibility of failure ahead of the game.

It’s been around five and a half months since the 05ers got off to the worst possible start in the Bundesliga away at Union Berlin. FSV were fast asleep in the opening stages, missed two penalties and were unfortunate to hit the woodwork numerous times. Things could’ve have gone much worse for Bo Svensson’s side on that warm and sultry day at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. “That was certainly a key game in a negative way for lots of players at the start of the season. It means that tomorrow represents an opportunity to turn things around a little bit and to start afresh,” explained Siewert, looking back on a time when Bo Svensson was still head coach, whilst also looking ahead to what he could achieve with his team in such an important game, which was due to be played on matchday 18. “We need to be more direct going forwards as we keep having moments when the opposition are open, but we are recognising these opportunities too late. We play the ball out wide too often rather than progressing forwards straight away. We will need this in order to put Union under pressure,” said Siewert, who has been FSV’s head coach since the start of November. 

Standing firm and staying on it

While the central flaws in 05’s game on Saturday have already been mentioned, there wasn’t a lot else that the fans and the club could blame their team for. After having a start to forget and going behind early on, they took hold of the game, dominated and were foiled several times. However, the 05ers overcomplicated things instead of playing with purpose and composure in the opponents’ penalty area. “We attacked a lot, but didn’t manage to score after going behind early. That can do something to you, but the lads stood firm and stayed on it. That makes us strong and we want to carry that on into the game tomorrow, so the tide can turn for not just everyone personally but the whole team,” said Siewert, who at the weekend spoke of a deep-seated anger which he wants to convert into bravery together with the team.

Similarly to Werder Bremen, who sat deep and waiting for opportunities to counterattack, the 05ers’ head coach is also expecting this week’s opponents to allow his side to have the ball for long spells of the game. “They’re very compact and have plenty of pace in attack in the form of Bendict Hollerbach and new signing Yorbe Vertessen,” Siewert noted. In this respect, it’s necessary to win the ball high up the pitch and to repeatedly “get stuck in and keep them penned in”. In order to put themselves in a position to pick up a hard-fought win, FSV need to avoid playing into the opponent’s hands, as was the case with the disastrous goal at the weekend. “We need to need be clinical when we’re attacking and avoid long balls. It doesn’t have to look pretty,” emphasised Siewert, who also knows that the result is what counts in the current situation. A positive result is what’s needed to initiate a change in the minds of the players, who have been longing for a win since the 2-0 victory against Leipzig at the start of November.  

“Energy” from the stands

The recent atmosphere at the MEWA ARENA has also given Siewert confidence. “The fans who felt the energy at the weekend will know how much it helped us. We’re three points from safety, but would love it to be three after the game. We’ve got to make it clear that something good is happening here. It helps the team and it only worked when we tackled the problem together in the past,” explained the 41-year-old, as he cast a glance back at the successful relegation battles of years past.

Almost all of Mainz’s players will be available to Siewert for the clash again Union, with only Stefan Bell and Nelson Weiper missing the game with long-term injuries. Brajan Gruda and Andreas Hanche-Olsen recently returned to team training and have continued to make progress. They are potential options for the matchday squad on Wednesday.