In Mainz, the team has once again taken one of its breaks after four good—or at least successful—matches. On the one hand, this is what keeps us from reaching the absolute top; on the other hand, this pattern is something we’ve seen before.
That we’ve risen from the very bottom and are still in 4th place, with a four-point lead over a position that doesn’t qualify for European competition? Sure, that’s something. I don’t want to quote our sporting director here, but a loss of points against the team in sixth place isn’t exactly shocking. At least not when, yes, the proper attitude for this kind of game is missing. Of course, one must differentiate here to avoid arguments piling up in the comments: The fact that the team played poorly on Saturday afternoon doesn’t mean it’s all downhill from here or that they fundamentally lack professionalism. And even less does it mean that Wednesday’s match against Paris is already lost. It simply means that the team approached this game incorrectly, or as Sebastian Hoeneß put it: “We can take from this game that we’ll need a different mindset overall on Wednesday. We’ll need to squeeze out a few more percent than we did today.” Nothing more, nothing less.
One could argue, of course, that VfB had their chances and that things could’ve gone differently. The best chance came from Deniz Undav after 13 minutes, but he missed, and the rest of the shots on goal were, unfortunately, more about trying but failing. Robin Zentner, who wasn’t particularly secure, was never truly threatened again. That was mainly because, after four consecutive wins in competitive matches, the team indulged in a game where they assumed everything would work out on its own. We’ve seen this before last season; such games are often followed by the next winning streak. This season, it’s been similar: after the 4–0 drubbing in Munich, the team bounced back with wins in Turin, against Kiel, and Kaiserslautern, as well as a 0–0 draw in Leverkusen. After the 5–1 defeat in Belgrade, they responded with victories in Regensburg, against Union, against Bern, and in Heidenheim. And after the home match against St. Pauli, where they barely put up a fight, they started the recently ended streak of four wins.
They Knew What to Expect
Even against Augsburg, the team looked sluggish despite the preceding short winter break. Still, they managed to handle themselves and, in the end, the otherwise harmless opponent. But Mainz isn’t sitting in 5th place after 19 matchdays for no reason. If there were a symbolic image of the difference in mentality on Saturday, it was Mainz’s jubilant celebration after their somewhat lucky 2–0 goal. The weight lifted from the home team’s shoulders as they finally rewarded themselves for their effort and fight. The home win was certainly deserved. One could complain about Mainz’s rough playing style, but no one should be surprised by it. The team, as the officials admitted after the match, knew exactly what to expect—but they weren’t ready to meet it.
This was evident in sloppy passes, rushed finishes, and a lack of willingness to run and fight in midfield. More often than not, a Mainz player reached the ball first. Passes were played with far too much confidence and too little awareness, and up front, shots were taken from poor positions, robbing themselves of real scoring chances. While these issues affected the entire team, the full-backs had an especially dreadful day, allowing Mainz to repeatedly break through dangerously. Atakan Karazor’s yellow-card foul in the opponent’s penalty area, following yet another botched attack, symbolized the mental sluggishness of the team. That foul will now sideline him against Mönchengladbach. VfB could probably have played for another 90 minutes, and still wouldn’t have come up with anything better.
Realization Only After the Final Whistle
As mentioned, these “off-day” matches follow a certain pattern, and they happen—apart from the Bayern game—primarily against teams that are individually inferior to VfB but compensate with effort and good organization. In such games, VfB struggles to bring its own quality to the field, and even a halftime talk doesn’t seem to help. Only after the final whistle does the realization dawn that it wasn’t enough, and our next opponents then typically suffer for it. Not the worst mindset for Wednesday’s game, where such a performance is unthinkable anyway.
So, it’s time once again to focus on our strengths and start the next winning streak. Considering where we’ve come from and where we still are, that’s not such a bad outlook.
Picture: © Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images