Mwene: “I’ll do everything I can to help the team out”

It’s been a long time since 1. FSV Mainz 05 have had what head coach Bo Svensson referred to as a “first-class option” at left-back, as they’ve sought to find a successor for the departed Aarón. The club and the fans were pleased when Phillipp Mwene, one of the standout players for FSV when they spectacularly avoided the drop in the 2021/22 campaign, chose to end his two-year spell at Dutch cup winners PSV Eindhoven and return to his old stomping ground.

The 29-year-old Austrian international explained how he’d been thinking about a return to the Bundesliga at the end of last season in a press conference on Friday at the Bruchweg. “Bo messaged me after the last game of the season. We’ve kept in touch over the past couple of seasons. When he found out that I’d been toying with the idea of returning to the Bundesliga, he was one of the first people to say that he would have me back in a heartbeat. After that, the idea of actually coming back to Mainz became even more appealing to me.”

Eager to be back

And so, things were set in motion. “Before the last game of pre-season, when I’d already reached an agreement with Mainz, I let the club and the head coach knows that I wanted to go to FSV. The PSV head coach said that I wouldn’t be selected again and that he’d focus on players who were staying at the club, which I understood. I just hoped things would progress quickly. Unfortunately, it took more than three weeks, because PSV didn’t want to let me go before they’d found a replacement. It wasn’t easy, but i was sure that everything would work out in the end, because the talks with PSV had been very straightforward and they wanted to make the deal happen. They understood why I wanted to go,” said Mwene.

Mwene, a PSV regular over the last two seasons at one of the top clubs in the Netherlands, was relegated to the bench. He wasn’t even in the squad when PSV drew 2-2 with Rangers in the first leg of the Champions League qualifiers. Instead, he was on his way to Mainz, as PSV had managed to find his replacement before their trip to Scotland in the form of Sergino Dest.   The 22-year-old American arriving on loan from FC Barcelona gave Mwene the green light to complete his move back to the Zerofivers. 

Comfortable on both sides of the pitch

“We’ve fought long and hard to bring Phillipp back. In this respect, we’re happy that the deal is done now and that he’s finally returning to the Bruchweg. Phillipp knows Mainz 05 and knows the way we play, so he can immediately hit the ground running. He’s a very good player technically, who can play both on the left and on the right wing. He has a lot of quality and the right mentality,” said Svensson after securing the defender.

“It doesn’t matter whether I’m playing on the left wing or the right wing. I’ve played on both sides for PSV as well as for the national team. It’s not the be all and end all for me. I’ll do everything I can to help the team out. I played as a left-back at youth level and I can put crosses in from the left-hand side. I also always have the option of cutting inside and trying to get a shot off with my right foot. It’s just another weapon I have at my disposal when going forward,” said Mwene.

Ready to get stuck in

He went on to say how important being on the ball and playing out from the back were during his spell at Eindhoven. “Here, it’s all about staying compact and quick passes. Not much has changed for me. I’ve got to make sure that I work hard on my side of the pitch, shut up shop at the back, and prioritise getting forward. But it was the same thing at PSV, so I don’t think I’ll have much trouble adapting. I haven’t played in three weeks, but I was in training. I’m feeling good and am definitely ready to get involved again.

The returnee is aware that he’ll be competing with Anthony Caci for the starting spot at left-back. “It’s normal for a team that wants to do well in the Bundesliga to have two good players in every position. I just have to accept that I’m competing for a starting spot. I’m aiming to play as much as possible, of course,” said Mwene.

Dream to reality

The reason why he came back to Mainz wasn’t just to do with sport. “Basically, the Bundesliga is the competition that I always used to watch as a kid. I dreamed of playing in it and I’ve been able to make that dream a reality. I had a great time in Eindhoven, but my wife and I really wanted to come back to Germany,” he explained.

The Vienna-born man initially arrived at Mainz as a right winger from relegated Bundesliga 2 side 1. FC Kaiserslauten and joined PSV as a left-back in 2021. Those three years were dominated by injuries. Still, the Austrian was a starter under Svensson from the Dane’s second game up until matchday 32. “I struggled with a lot of injuries initially. I couldn’t really get into my groove because I’d been out for a year and a half. When Bo came in and put his faith in me, things went like clockwork. I started putting in good performances. Even though fighting for survival every game was stressful and mentally exhausting, it was still fun. When we stayed up, I was 27 years old and my contract had just expired. I had to decide whether I should stay or look for a new challenge. PSV’s offer was very good and I decided to go for it. I gained a lot of experience and made my debut for the national team during that time. It was the right decision then, but now it’s time to come back.” He played a lot and improved a lot in the Netherlands under Roger Schmidt and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Now, he wants to bring what he’s learned to Mainz.