AThe missed victory over Werder Bremen does not seem to have had an effect for too long. The day after, the great disappointment about the 2-2 lead with two quickly lost leads and the second goal conceded in the fifth minute of added time was still felt, says Bo Svensson, the coach of FSV Mainz 05. “But not longer either.” The draw didn’t eat away at self-confidence, as the performance during the training week showed.
There is no reason for the people of Rheinhessen to walk around sadly and with their heads bowed. “You can turn the tide,” says Svensson, “we haven’t lost a game in two months.” The last defeat so far was on February 4th, it was 2-1 at Union Berlin. Since then there have been five wins and three draws, the previous second half of the season is already one point above that of the entire first half of the season at 21 points.
His team is now characterized by the fact that they are able to deal with resistance, says the coach. “And we’re much more solid in the group than we were before the winter break.” The 05ers are correspondingly confident about the next task, which will take them “to one of the best places in Germany to experience football”: the Müngersdorfer Stadion. “The atmosphere in Cologne is very special, these are always emotional games, the team is always looking for a way forward and is supported by their fans,” says Svensson. “Anyone who is not happy to play in Cologne is out of place as a footballer.”
Last two close games
The two most recent away games against FC are probably more useful than the home game in autumn to assess what is in store for his players. The intoxicating 5-0 in their own arena, a result with which the Rhinelanders were still well served, is not suitable as a blueprint because of the former 05er Luca Kilian. He conceded a penalty early on against Karim Onisiwo, which Marcus Ingvartsen converted to make it 1-0, and in the middle of the first half he was sent yellow-red after another foul on the Austrian.
There have been two close games in Cologne recently. In the season before last, Mainz won 3-2 thanks to Leandro Barreiro’s goal in added time, in April 2022 Mainz gave up a two-goal lead and lost 2-3. The goal scorer in the 82nd minute was Kilian, who was then still on loan at FC.
Nelson Weiper could make two appearances in Cologne this weekend. Because this Friday, the U-19 teams of the two Bundesliga clubs will face each other in the second leg of the semi-finals for the German championship. “Nelson will play, we’ll see how long,” announces Svensson.
The coach would prefer it if the Mainz offspring quickly cleared things up after the 1-0 win in the first leg in order to have a fresh Weiper on the bench on Saturday. The 18-year-old will definitely take a seat there. On the one hand because of his remarkable joker inserts – against Werder he scored his second Bundesliga goal with a 2-1 win.
On the other hand, because the offensive threatens to be a bit thinned out: Until Thursday, only Ludovic Ajorque and Onisiwo were considered candidates for the starting eleven of the established strikers. Marcus Ingvartsen had not trained in the previous days due to a strain, Jonathan Burkardt is still developing. Svensson doesn’t want to rob the A-Juniors of their most important goalscorer, but the following applies: “Bundesliga minutes are more valuable than U-19 minutes. It’s a puzzle, but we’ll get it done.”