No need for the Coface boys

It's time to start blogging about the Bundesliga and possibly about other football related issues after a while.

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.

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.

Zidan found his place again.

Full on enthusiasm after a weeks break. The ongoing Bundesliga season has proved to be very even. Only three teams are battling against each other for the remaining eurogame positions,otherwise it seems really tight on the top and on the bottom. After the Christmas break even the top teams haven't been able to dominate, and the teams in the lower section of the table have been snatching points from the big teams. The outcomes of the games has been hard to predict. Dortmund has been solid as a rock, but every one else has had problems. From a betters point of view also Mainz has been solid, and with better odds than Dortmund.

Mainz has drawn three of their last games, and all three with 1-1. Every time Mohammed Zidan has been the scorer. I haven't been too trusting with Mainz's game so far and it has seemed all season long that they might relegate. Now it's looking good. If Zidan can keep up with the scoring Mainz will finish somewhere where they are standing right now (13th). Mohamed Zidan is an interesting player. He has represented Mainz a few times and always keeps coming back, after not quite making it anywhere else. I remember him playing pretty good in Hamburg a few years back, but it just didn't last. It seems like he made a right decision coming back to the 05'ers again. The competition in Dortmund, where he transferred from, was just too hard for him.

Mainz will play a derby on Saturday against Kaiserslautern. The match seems more important to Kaiserslautern as they have slid on the third last position in the table. Only two points after the Christmas break. At some point it seemed Kaiserslautern were playing at least OK, and even the scores show that they are not a team that gives up. The defeats have come with one or max. two goals. It seems the level of the squad just isn't enough, although there are no week players, just no real stars. I'd say Kaiserslautern would need a striker like Zidan. Shechter has scored 3 and Kouemaha 2. The whole team has scored 16 goals in 22 games. That is alarmingly few. There are two players (Gomez, Huntelaar 18) who have scored more in the league this season, which tells the whole problem Kaiserslautern has. The future doesn't seem bright for them, and they really must start gathering points immediately if they want to play in the Bundesliga next year.

In the top of the league Bayern is playing against Schalke. Schalke has had problems with the other big teams, and this is their time to really show that they are up for the Champions. This is also the time for Bayern to start fighting,because the titel is slipping away at the pace they are playing. Zero goals in the champions league game and in the last game at Freiburg. I'd give Olic a chance. At least he works really hard and gives the other guys opportunities to score, at least more than Gomez does. That's my opinion. Before this round Dortmund is already 4 points ahead of Bayern and 5 points ahead of Schalke. Whatever the outcome of Bayern-Schalke is the both teams certainly will hope that Dortmund won't take 3 points.

COFACE and Glühwein

Last Saturday was the day to enjoy Mainz at its best. A little below ten degrees with sun 
shining. On the top of that Mainz against Hamburg. Not the top game of the league but 
good entertainment. I have to say that COFACE arena is cosy and full of atmosphere. All 
the 34.000 people were cheering for the 05 to win. They succeeded in being the better 
team for sure, but just couldn't score. I expected a lot more from Hamburg, especially 
having seen their game two weeks back, but anything they can be praised of are their 
fans, who made a lot of noise. Mainz showed a lot of character and only made one big 
mistake this time, which the hamburgers couldn't make use of. The 05'ers were better 
throughout the game though, and should've kept the three points in Mainz.


On this blog you can't have a round without hearing from Teemu Pukki if he scores. The 
fin played a solid game and scored the winning goal. I haven't looked at the stats but 
Pukki was not only good in scoring situations but also able to create chances and most 
importantly in passing the ball to his teammates. He is really finding his place in the 
team and with it his confidence is rising. He has now proven his talent and showed his 
scoring abilities. No doubt he earned to be in the starting eleven and with these kind of performances he is going to start even more matches on the field. Schalke's performance 
wasn't superb, but solid enough to make them climb up to the third place in the table.


Worrying for Schalke supporters is the fact that S04 havent been playing great, at least not against their biggest rivals. On this saturday the top game is Schalke-Bremen and both really want to win to keep a smallest possible distance to the top of the table. I'ts Schalke's home game so they are a slight favorite, but Pizarro in form Bremen will make the best for Schalke not to succeed. It's looking like a very tight game and seems like a draw, but could go either way. I might put my money on the draw, and hope that they will score a lot of goals.


It is the last round before the christmas brake and all the teams will sertainly give all they have at this point and go celebrate christmas after a win. In my book there still are a few games in which the outcome seems certain beforehand. The opening game of the round is Bayern-Köln which, in spite of the odd, almost certainly a home win. Not the betters first choice in games but I'm sure Bayern will crush Solbakken's crew. Köln doesn't simply have a chance in this one. After seeing Hamburg last week, and concidering Augsburgs improving performances I have to say that Augsburg might win this one. In my book it's at least a draw. The most certain result is going to be Leverkusens win against Nürnberg. Derdiyok and the whole Dutt's squad really played under their level against Hannover and now they must win to prevent the top getting too far. The last game is Wolfsburg-Stuttgart that I am curious about is Wolfsburg-Stuttgart. I still don't have any faith in Magath and I'd say they are playing on a level that is on the bottom of the league at the moment. They have been fairly ok at home, but I still have trouble seeing them getting more than one point from this game.

Tuchel-Bayern 2-1

I just have to write a post about the biggest surprise result this season. As everyone who have witnessed Bayerns last two games can wonder what has happened to them. Of course during a long season it is hard to maintain the level they played some weeks ago, but from a team like Bayern and especially from players like Gomez, Ribery and Müller one could expect the level being more even throughout the season.

Mainz didn't play great. Well, a team that has been playing the worst game in the league one can't expect too much. They have lost their lead on many occasions after being in front, for example against Dortmund and Hoffenheim. This time it was close as well. The goals Van Buyten was able to score were defended very poorly. Actually Van Buyten was very near in scoring on two more occasions, one in the last minute of extended time. Luckily for Mainz he didn't. This time Mainz was able to hold on defensively to their lead. I still see Mainz's defence as the weak link in their team, as it was also last season. In my opinion Bungert can manage against good players, but not the really tops. Fortunately for Mainz and himself he has also scored goals. Svensson is just too old and slow, even though an experienced player. I'm not even going to go on the keepers. On the other hand the attack is decent on a good day, as it was for them on Sunday. The crown for the game came from Marco Caligiuris foot. An astonishing shot from nearly 30 meters behind one of the top goalies in the world this moment. I think that shot was enough for Mainz to deserve the victory. Personally I would've chosen him as the man of the match, although Ivanschitz, who was chosen the man of the match, played a good game as well.

Thomas Tuchel seems to have a secret for beating Bayern. This was the second time in three games he has lead his squad to victory against the Bavarians in three games. Defence seems to be the key,m although it isn't Mainz's strength. It seems that Bayern has a few things to pick up on every area, including defensive play. Especially Badstuber is concentrating on everything else than defending i.e. complaining. It has been almost hilarious to watch the young man shout at referees and basically arguing at every whistle. He doesn't know how to play when histeam is down. If I was the coach, I'd bench him for a while.

Let the Mainzer enjoy this victory. They might be facing the reality again next weekend. I'm sure Bayern will jump up to their own level soon. At least when they get Schweini back.