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Bundesliga: “Passable first half of the season”: Mainz with a good feeling in the World Cup break

Bundesliga: “Passable first half of the season”: Mainz with a good feeling in the World Cup break

Mainz 05 did not reach the goal of 20 points, but ended a series of three bankruptcies. The table tenth is only five points away from the relegation zone.

FSV Mainz 05 got the curve again before the winter break. The 1: 1 (1: 0) in the Rhein-Main derby of the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt was balm.

“The mood is good,” said 05 sporting director Martin Schmidt after the points were shared with the Champions League club. “After three defeats in a row nobody wanted to go into the winter break with a fourth defeat,” he said. “That’s why the 1-1 is certainly a fair draw, although we were the better team in the first hour, also in terms of chances, and could have made it 2-0.”

Tenth place in the table also offers the chance to move up in the coming year, but also carries the risk of being involved in the relegation battle again. Five points separate the Rheinhessen from relegation place 16, six points from the direct relegation zone.

“Too many fluctuations in performance”

“Overall, we can be happy with a lot, but not with a lot because there were too many fluctuations in performance,” said 05 coach Bo Svensson. “If we had approached more games like this, we would have broken the 20-point mark.” The Dane does not rule out the fact that he could be involved in a relegation battle again, as was the case when he took office. “I don’t know if concern is the right word. You can’t assume at Mainz 05 that we could have nothing to do with it,” said Svensson. “We have to have respect for this situation in the table.”

For sports director Schmidt, the 19 points from 15 games are “certainly a passable preliminary round” that you played. “Much more important than the table is the one point for the emotional state of the team and that the boys continue to believe in themselves.” It was also a signal to the competition: “The clubs that are behind us have seen that Mainz is upping the ante again. It’s emotionally important.”

The draw for the 1-0 goal scorer Jonathan Burkardt had a personal dimension. His first goal of the season in the 40th minute was also an opportunity for him to draw a line under a depressing time after injuries and an infection. After all, the striker was also considered a World Cup candidate.

“I knew that the first half of the season wasn’t enough,” said 22-year-old Burkardt, whose opening goal was equalized by Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani (66th). “A finish like this is good for everyone, for the team as well as for the fans. Especially in terms of performance, even if it wasn’t three points,” he said. So everyone in Mainz could go home with a “very good feeling” – including himself.

Source: Stern

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