“About four hours” was Robin Zentner’s answer to the question of how many hours he slept after the game in Augsburg last Friday. Not only did Mainz only arrive back home in the middle of the night, but it was a hard game to top in terms of drama, especially in the closing stages. Zentner described the first win of the new Bundesliga season as hugely important. “The three points did us an incredible amount of good. We managed to defend well for long periods. However, after going a man down quite early on, we were camped deep in our own half for the most part,” said the goalkeeper, viewing the match now with a little hindsight. Nevertheless, Zentner still noticed that his team has room for improvement. “Our goal for the next few games must be to keep a first clean sheet this season.”
“It’s a mental thing first and foremost”
FSV were already a man down after just over half an hour, but did possess a 2-1lead at this point. The hosts had managed to halve the deficit shortly beforehand, but even with one player fewer on the pitch, Mainz were able to restore the two-goal advantage and make it 3-1. FCA fought back stronger this time and closed the gap to 3-2 before the hosts also had a player sent off and it was a level game once more. However, this did nothing to hinder the Augsburg attacking pressure. Zentner believed this problem stemmed from the players’ mentality. “I think it’s a mental thing first and foremost. When you’re leading, you have the feeling that you can afford to lose something, so we need to stop ourselves from slipping into that mindset and obviously should have made better use of the opportunity handed to us by the sending-off to turn the game back in our favour,” said the 29-year-old regarding the closing stages. However, the mass upheaval in the team’s central positions at the start of this season forms another reason for the defensive instability that Mainz are still repeatedly having to deal with. “We’re definitely still learning about ourselves and are in a process of getting everyone 100 per cent on the same page about how we want to play and be able to implement our tactics on the pitch. It’s quite clear that not everything is clicking just yet. People on the outside sometimes underestimate the time that is going to take,” explained the FSV goalkeeper on recent changes in the squad.
National team dream
The 05ers’ goalkeeper kept Mainz in the game several times against Augsburg with his impressive saves, but his season’s overall performance has also been impressive. With 21 shots on goal saved, no other Bundesliga goalkeeper can match Zentner’s contributions. He, however, does not see these numbers as a positive. “The statistics show that we are unfortunately giving away a lot right now. The only thing that matters to me is the result, though. Five points from four games is a decent start. We want to build on that and pick up as many points as possible before the next international break.” An international break that is, where the goalkeeper wouldn’t mind playing a part himself. Reward for his strong individual performances in the form of a nomination for the German national team is a clear goal for the 05er. “I think every German goalkeeper who plays in the Bundesliga has the dream of playing for Germany. But only I can make that happen with what I do on the pitch, so I’m not too worried about it. I play, I train and I try to keep developing and getting better,’ Zentner revealed about his ambition to be nominated for the DFB team at some point in his career.
Heidenheim “unpleasant to play against”
After recording the first win of the new league campaign, attentions now turn to the next challenge at home to 1. FC Heidenheim (Saturday, kick-off 15:30 CEST). Mainz’s preparation ahead of the game began with a session of paddle tennis on Monday. “That was a nice change to the schedule, really good fun. It was also very easy to tell which of the boys had played paddle tennis before. It may have been a bit more of a relaxed session, but we still all gave it our all,” Zentner reported on the unusual training session.
Mainz and Heidenheim have faced off twice to date in the Bundesliga and those games remain at the forefront of Zentner’s mind. “I was injured and had to watch from the stands for the home game, but we were clearly on top and simply just couldn’t find a goal back after going behind early on. Heidenheim were really unpleasant to play against at their ground and they’ve started well again this season and look very stable,” judged the goalkeeper about the upcoming opponent. “Heidenheim are very disciplined in their play, which we will also need to be to have success on Saturday, as well as taking advantage of our individual quality up top.”
The support from the FSV fans at the MEWA ARENA will also play large role. The Mainz crowd is incredibly important in the eyes of the 05ers’ stopper. “They are extremely important and it’s always great to know that they have our full backing. There were over 1,000 travelling fans in Augsburg, which is not something to view lightly. Home matches are the real grand occasions for everybody, though.”
The hope is that the home advantage along with the backing from the fans should be enough to ensure that the three points stay in Mainz when Heidenheim come to town on Saturday.