Friendlies as a guide
The friendlies against Shabab Al Ahli and Udinese Calcio on Friday and Saturday, both live on 05ER.tv, are intended to help transfer the trained patterns onto the pitch. At the same time, they will also be used to bring the returning World Cup participants back up to the team’s level. “In the games, I place great importance on the basics and certain principles, especially with the new players. Phillipp Mwene joined back up with us today, and the same applies to the other three returnees who have only been with us since the training camp. Certain things get a little lost when you don’t see each other for two months. That is normal, and those mechanisms have to be practised again first,” Fischer said, explaining his thoughts ahead of the upcoming matches.
Although the head coach is generally happy with the efforts of his players, he still sees room for improvement in various areas and repeatedly intervenes during training. “I demand a lot from the lads, so they hear me and get feedback accordingly. Today there were a few points that we need to keep working on. On the other hand, they also get praise when something works well.” The Swiss coach added that the path the team is on gives him confidence. Mainz still have a good three weeks until their first competitive match. Until then, they will continue to work meticulously on the details during the training camp and after returning home next Wednesday.
