Mainz 05 must once again put together a strong return series after a weak first series in order to stay in the league in the Bundesliga. When you were in this situation a few years ago, you produced a small miracle. However, that is not necessary this time.
The pre-Christmas period in 2020 was anything but contemplative for 1. FSV Mainz 05: the club had collected seven points in a disastrous first half of the season, the club was struggling for its identity, people and the club had become estranged from each other. Under coach Sandro Schwarz and predecessor Achim Beierlorzer, the team was often bored, too often frustrated and too rarely enthusiastic. Or at least scored points. The coach had to go. When President Stefan Hofmann invited people to the extraordinary press conference, the people hoped for an emotional release. And they love emotions in Mainz, including good stories. The biggest one was written by Jürgen Klopp, who rose from an average second division pig to become a world coach and gave first Mainz and then the whole of football Germany fairy tale after fairy tale.
But Hofmann had no promises of a big, or at least exciting, future. He appeared before the people empty-handed and only had to announce that he had no idea what would happen next. There was the idea of bringing back Christian Heidel, the man who had promoted Klopp to coach and was the architect of the little Mainz football miracle that brought the club to the European Cup and, with Thomas Tuchel, turned a youth coach into the next world coach did training.
Between the years, what they had dreamed of happened. If it weren’t too cheesy for a Hollywood film, you wouldn’t believe it. Heidel was persuaded to take on responsibility in Mainz again – on the condition that Bo Svensson should become his coach. Svensson, who had defended for Mainz 05 in the first and second leagues for many years, moved along. And a new miracle began.
The Dane, brought from FC Liefering from Austria for a small transfer fee, made an impact. After three defeats at the start, Mainz 05 almost played a Champions League second half of the season, adding 29 points to the pitiful seven points in the first half of the season. At the end of the final spurt, which was proclaimed to be the “greatest relegation battle of all time” by ex-coach Schmidt, who had also rejoined the team and whom Heidel had made sports director, there was a comparatively confident relegation. Svensson took the people with him, those in the stands and those on the lawn. Like Klopp once did.
“It was around half past three at night”
Svensson was also preparing to become the new Klopp. The former defender, limited in sport but strong enough to self-destruct, brought back the exciting football, the emotions, the results. The story was perfect. Svensson followed the miracle with a solid next season that was strong in special moments; they beat FC Bayern and spoiled the championship for BVB on the last matchday. But at some point it seemed as if the plug had been pulled: nothing was going to work anymore, the team was developing backwards instead of forward. And after a disastrous cup exit at second division club Hertha BSC, Svensson, who “would never have been fired,” as Heidel said, pulled the ripcord – and announced his resignation.
They would have loved to continue writing history together, but in the end there was failure – like Jürgen Klopp once did. He was relegated with “his” club, and after missing promotion he left the world in tears. Many years later, Svensson said goodbye to the club and fans with an emotional video that touched the entire league. The ex-professional, who collected more yellow cards on the sidelines than any other coach, cried goodbye. They loved him and when he left there were tears on all sides.
“If I’m honest, after the cup game I expected that I would get a WhatsApp from Bo saying that he wanted to talk. And that’s what came,” said Heidel. “We sat together in the hotel that night. Bo, sports director Martin Schmidt and I. It was around half past four in the morning when the decision was made. We exchanged ideas for an hour and a half. Bo was immediately very clear and said that he wanted it “I feel like something has to happen now.”
They were also worse
History can now repeat itself in Mainz. Because they are looking for a trainer again, again at Christmas time. Svensson’s successor Jan Siewert, whom they pulled from their own secondary team to save the Bundesliga team in the winter, scored seven points in seven games. Three of them in the first game after Svensson against the top club RB Leipzig. “For Bo,” they announced afterwards at FSV Mainz 05.
But after that it wasn’t enough for another win, even though 1. FC Köln, Darmstadt 98 and 1. FC Heidenheim were fighting for relegation against three direct competitors. Change is different, it’s actually not enough for a departure. But this time the situation is different than in the Christmas season of 2020, when there was no panic because a leaden lethargy had settled over the club and the surrounding area: in 2023, interim coach Siewert calmed the team down. “He had the feeling that he was no longer the right coach for this team,” said Heidel after the Dane’s departure. “The results and the last games would have shown him this.” And Svensson was right, because the change of coach had – even if only at second glance – an effect that he himself could no longer create.
The mood is better than the table situation. And there are good reasons for that. Because in Rheinhessen they have found their way back to a game idea that is fun: Siewert lets the technicians around the South Korean Jae-Sung Lee or the surprisingly quickly established A-youth champion Brajan Gruda whirl offensively, fast passing teams with their own possession of the ball have Svensson’s idea of the long one Strike and the constant fight for the ball replaced. This creates numerous great opportunities.
Statistically speaking, Mainz 05 under Siewert should have scored a whopping 17 out of 21 possible points, judging by the value of the expected goals. This provides information about the probability of being able to convert the quality of your own game into goals. Under Svensson, Mainz 05 – if you follow the findings from the data – had a structural problem in the game that was eliminated under his successor. A mixture of bad luck and a lack of precision led to many disappointments under Siewert, and by the end of the Svensson era they were actually the losing team in almost every game. While Mainz 05 conceded over three goals on average in the nine Svensson games, under Siewert they conceded four – in a total of seven games. This insight doesn’t score any points, but it speaks – even if it is unromantic – against Svensson. Siewert has given the structure that was crumbling under Svensson a stable structure that is sustainable for a functioning relegation battle.
There is no need for a miracle
Siewert’s record is enough for those responsible: “He has stabilized the team. You can see that – seven games, seven points. The team has become solid under him,” said sports director Martin Schmidt, praising the 41-year-old after the 1-1 draw in Dortmund the team said goodbye to the winter break in a reconciled manner. A few days later, the club announced that the former youth coach would be given a head coaching contract until 2026.
“The relegation battle has now really begun. This one point before the winter break has to give everyone a boost and breathe new life into it,” said Schmidt. Last time, a few big moments between the years were enough to breathe new life into an entire club. There is still a mild breeze blowing through Mainz at the moment, it doesn’t feel like a powerful boost like it did back then. They are in the relegation place, level on points with bottom team Darmstadt 98, three points behind the first non-relegation place. The situation is tough, but not hopeless. “We are here, we are alive,” said Martin Schmidt combatively. This is not the time for a miracle. It’s quite possible that there won’t be any more tears at the end of the season.