With humility and confidence

Around 200 fans defied the heat and made their way to the Bruchwegstadion on Wednesday afternoon to watch the 05ers’ first training session, with temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees. Despite the relatively relaxed opening session, the players were soon working up a sweat, though there was clear enjoyment at being back on the pitch with their team-mates. Head coach Bo Henriksen had already noticed the “fantastic” atmosphere in the dressing room: “I get the sense that everyone’s happy to be here and to see each other again,” said the Dane. That included a new face – Benedict Hollerbach took part in his first session as a Mainz player – as well as some familiar ones returning from loan spells: Ben Bobzien, Edimilson Fernandes, Tom Krauß, Marco Richter and Niklas Tauer. From Thursday onwards (open training session at 10:00 CEST), several academy talents will bolster the still slightly reduced Bundesliga squad.

Henriksen, looking visibly refreshed and in good spirits, spoke to the media, sharing stories from his family holiday in Denmark and some welcome time away from football. His first impressions were that break has done him good, and now he’s full of energy and ready to get back to work at Bruchweg, where he and the team are aiming to take “the next steps.” The final game of last season against Leverkusen was “outstanding”, said Henriksen, admitting that a lot of tension had been released afterwards. “We’re proud of what we achieved, but now it’s about setting new goals. We’ve got a strong squad with plenty of quality and a great culture at the club. But that requires the right mentality and humility – and at the same time, we have to be ambitious. At Mainz 05, hard work will always be the foundation. We have to run, fight, give everything – it’s not enough just to play a bit of football. If we do that, we’ll be a good side,” Henriksen said, outlining both new and familiar principles for FSV. And he’s not afraid to set ambitious long-term targets. First, of course, the team will need to qualify for the UEFA Conference League group stage via the play-offs in late August. But looking further ahead: next year’s final will be held in Leipzig. “We’re aiming high – we want to stay hungry,” said Henriksen.

“Goosebumps” during the European Championship final

There are still around seven weeks of pre-season to go before the competitive season kicks off, but there’s already a sense of optimism at Mainz, as board member for sport and communication Christian Heidel made clear. While there are currently no transfer updates to announce – neither incoming nor outgoing – one thing is certain: “We could start the Bundesliga tomorrow with the squad we have,” Heidel stated. The transfer window is still long, of course, and changes are always possible, but there’s no sense of pressure among those responsible at the club.

Both Heidel and Henriksen looked back with pride on the U21 European Championship, where Germany narrowly missed out on lifting the trophy, with three academy graduates from Mainz in the starting line-up. Asked whether there’s concern that clubs will now come knocking for players like Paul Nebel or Nelson Weiper, Heidel was clear: that’s entirely the wrong way to look at it. “If that were the case, we shouldn’t let them play in these tournaments at all. But here, everyone’s proud to see our lads performing on that kind of stage.” Henriksen added that he had “goosebumps” watching the final, especially seeing Nebel, Weiper and Brajan Gruda involved – Gruda having made the move to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League last summer. Henriksen is particularly optimistic about Nelson Weiper’s future: “Given how he’s developed recently, I believe he can score 15 goals or more this season. He’s one of the strikers in the box in Germany.” But the most important things for the young striker, he said, remain “hard work, running, and patience.”

The foundation for an exciting season with European commitments appears to be in place at FSV. “We want to collect as many points as possible for German football and we’re not setting ourselves any limits,” said Henriksen. Standing still after last season’s excellent performance is not an option. “Our target remains to win every game, stay clear of relegation, and look upwards. We might bring in one or two more players, but the core of the squad is already here,” said the head coach, starting his second pre-season with the club. The focus for now is on fitness ahead of the summer training camp, which begins on 23rd July, with tactical work gradually becoming the main priority.

The team’s first friendly is this Saturday at 14:00 CEST against partner club SpVgg Ingelheim. Only a few remaining tickets are available, with the matchday ticket office expected to stay closed.