So, let's talk about Mainz 05. The sympathetic little club from Rheinland-Pfalz. It's the 7th consecutive season Mainz is playing in the top league and for the first time after the astonishing 2010-11 season the game is actually looking solid.
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| The Bruchweg boys |
And why are they going strong?
First of all, they have good balance and right players for each position. Loris Karius and Julian Baumgartlinger are in key role when it comes to defending the own goal. But the real threat to other teams is the attacking squadron. Christian Clemens, Pablo De Blasis, Yoshinori Muto and Yunus Mallı are all quick and skilled players. This quartet reminds me of Mainz "golden days". Remember Lewis Holtby, Adam Szalai and André Schürrle? I haven't seen such a performance (as we can see in the right) after a goal this year but as long as the quartet make something happen on the field there is no need for the Coface boys.
Especially Muto and Mallı have been on a roll. Mallı scored a hat trick yesterday against Hoffenheim and is now in the second place on the scoring chart. He was great even last season, but now he has really stepped up and might lead the team far. Yoshinori Muto was a complete stranger for the larger audience before the start of the season. Replacement for the other Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki has proven to be a big help for the 05ers. The two goals he has scored won't surely be the last ones for him.
So who knows where this team will be in May. If the quartet stays together we might see Mainz in the Europa League next year.
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