The home debut awaits, and VfB wants to carry the momentum from the Cup Match into the matchup against Mainz 05. Jessica as well as Felicitas from the Mainz 05 Fan Podcast “Die Hinterhofsänger” answer how things are looking for Mainz.
With the Red Stripe: What’s the feeling going into the new season? Will it be close again for Mainz this year, or will the league be secured earlier?
Jessica: A few weeks ago, when Brajan Gruda’s departure was not yet confirmed, we were dreaming of once again looking towards Europe. Now that he’s gone, the quality has obviously decreased, as his dribbling skills made him an X‑factor we never had before. Still, the outlook is more positive than in other years, especially because we managed to secure Nadiem Amiri as a key piece for the long term. A season in the secured mid-table seems realistic.
Felicitas: While Christian Heidel, as usual, has declared staying up as the season’s goal, Nadiem Amiri, who has been permanently signed as a key player, is speaking of bigger ambitions. Although Mainz had to let go of key players like Sepp van den Berg, Leandro Barreiro, and Brajan Gruda from last season’s final stretch, the 05ers’ squad can hope for more than just a relegation battle and staying up this season. The squad has already shown that, with young talents like Paul Nebel and Nelson Weiper, more is possible. Whether the squad has the depth needed for the season remains to be seen.
What has changed over the summer in Mainz? Who’s come and who’s gone?
Jessica: With Leandro Barreiro, Brajan Gruda, and Sepp van den Berg, practically an entire axis across all three positional groups has left the club. Replacing them with equal quality in the short term is unrealistic. Moreover, Barreiro also played an important role as a personality. New arrivals include Armindo Sieb from Fürth, Hong Hyun-Seok from KAA Gent, Moritz Jenz from Wolfsburg, and Nikolas Veratschnig from Wolfsberg—not to be confused with Wolfsburg. Paul Nebel, who was loaned to Karlsruher SC in the past two years and developed into a top player in the 2. Bundesliga, feels like a new signing as well. Additionally, there’s the controversial Kaishu Sano, who missed parts of the preparation because he was temporarily in custody by Japanese police on suspicion of sexual assault. Gabriel Vidovic has probably signed by the time of publication.
Felicitas: Nadiem Amiri should actually still be considered a new signing. He’s been given a contract until 2028 this season. The 05ers’ squad will be restructured around him. Now, almost at the end of the deadline day, Mainz 05 still has a small squad but one that is stronger in play compared to last season, which is due to Henriksen’s plans to strengthen the team’s play as he wants to further develop Mainz’s known transition football. Signings like Kaishu Sano, academy returnee Paul Nebel, Jenz from Wolfsburg, Hyunseok Hong, and Gabi Vidovic exemplify this. But players with pace like Veratschnig and Armindo Sieb show that Mainz wants to build on its own strengths.
Mainz 05 has been a firm part of the Bundesliga since the promotion in 2009. Is it still special for Mainz to play in the top flight, or has it become routine?
Jessica: I think last season’s second half was a wake-up call that reminded everyone that it’s not a given for Mainz to be around for so long consistently. Many fans, I believe, become complacent when a season goes by without significant relegation fears because, as a Mainz fan, it used to be normal to never be at ease for many years. There were the years of fighting for promotion and the many almost-historic rescues where the team was already written off by the winter break. The Mainz fan DNA needs that stress, that survival fight subconsciously at certain intervals. Last season proved that.
Felicitas: Our dream lives on and is still the top priority of the club. Given the financial resources, that’s still a reasonable expectation in league comparison, but it would be wrong to say that the Bundesliga routine hasn’t long settled in here, too. Considering the extremely successful Mainz youth and ambitious players like Nadiem Amiri, some Mainz fans are cautiously looking upwards.
To start the season, you picked up a point against Bo Svensson and Union Berlin. Are you satisfied with the result?
Jessica: In terms of the game, it was one of those classic “fair” results, but they were certainly hoping for a win. Unfortunately, after the 1–0, the team allowed themselves to get complacent again. It was also evident that, without Gruda, a strong player element was missing up front, someone who seeks one-on-ones. Therefore, there were too many long balls, and Burkardt was left without support too often.
Felicitas: We should have won the match. However, the game highlighted the lack of depth in the squad before the transfer window closed, which led to quite a bit of action during the week. The three new signings have addressed this weakness. Compared to last season’s start against Union Berlin (4–1 after two missed penalties), Mainz fans can be happy.
How would you describe your football and what are the strengths and weaknesses? Which Mainz player does VfB need to watch out for?
Jessica: Which Mainz player does VfB need to watch out for? Without Gruda, there’s a risk of reverting to “high and wide,” especially if Onisiwo is in the starting lineup. However, the signings before deadline day suggest that they still want to win games through skillful solutions. Jenz can advance the build-up play from the back three in defense, Hong can play all midfield positions as far as I see, and Vidovic could take on Gruda’s role. Therefore, I’m optimistic that Mainz will continue moving away from Svensson’s straightforward football, which was as predictable as a German TV movie. This has been a recurring problem for Mainz in recent years—the football on display was often incredibly dull.
Felicitas: Mainz thrives on high intensity in every phase. This won’t change under Henriksen, even with the ball at their feet. If they can also eliminate the individual errors from last season, it could be a fun round. You need to watch out for Nadiem Amiri, clearly. In the last two games, it became apparent that he couldn’t rely on the same level of defensive support from his position as in the previous season. However, the signing of Jenz might address this weakness.
Finally: Your prediction and feelings for the match?
Jessica: From the last eight games against you, we’ve collected an astounding 2 points. Stuttgart is not really the place where Mainz 05 plans for a win (a small reference to your former captain Gentner…). I would be very satisfied with a point. We still have adjustments to make, and so do you. So, I’m hoping we get another 1–1 draw.
Felicitas: Mainz still needs to find its footing; Freiburg showed on the first matchday what can be gained against an injury-plagued Stuttgart. So clearly: Mainz wins narrowly away, 1–2.
Thank you for the interview and have a great game!
Notice: This interview was translated via ChatGPT from German
Picture: © Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)