TOJürgen Klopp's great coaching career began on Carnival Monday 2001, moving from defender to coach without a coaching license at the relegation-threatened second division club. 1. FSV Mainz 05 changed chair. The result of this has long seemed like a football fairy tale, as the rapid career change can now look back and see a world career full of triumphs in Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool and, exhausted by the stress constant to which the football activist is exposed almost every day, he will soon take a break of at least a year from his stressful job.
On Rose Monday 2024, those responsible for 1. FSV Mainz 05 were once again the sports director Christian Heidel, once again asked not for the limit meeting, but for the crisis meeting. It is understandable, because the club is at risk of being relegated from the Bundesliga for the second time after fifteen years in the first category. 17th place with only 12 points and only one victory of the season, four points behind 1. FC Köln in the 16th relegation position and nine points behind the 15th rescue position currently occupied by Union Berlin : alarming prospects thirteen days before the end of the season championship.
That is why Heidel called for an emergency summit like in 2001. This time with sporting director Martin Schmidt and the previous Mainz U23 coach, who was not appointed as successor to the resigned Bo Svensson in December of the previous year. Jan Siewert. The 41-year-old coach lost his job again.
“Unfortunately it is a necessary step”
The fact that his contract is dated until June 30, 2026 inclusive did not keep him in office due to lack of sporting success. “We expressly thank Jan for his commitment,” Heidel stressed after the new turning point in Mainz, “he took on the task with great passion and meticulousness and gave the team a good boost with his work. Unfortunately, this has not been reflected in a fundamental change in trend or results.”
Heidel was already looking to the future when he concluded the Siewert case with the following sentence: “Unfortunately, we now see the change of coach as a necessary step to achieve positive change.” This is what the third Mainz says. The coach this season is supposed to have a disastrous season, which will probably be presented this Tuesday afternoon. Siewert left the club on Rose Monday with kind words. “I wish the team and the club all the best, especially that they can retain the league.”
“It's clear that we can't continue playing like this, we have to change something, it's clear,” sporting director Schmidt said on Sunday after another sobering 3-1 defeat to third-placed VfB Stuttgart. He did not link his statement after the game with a commitment to continue working with Siewert. The temporary coach, who had no lasting success in his positions at Huddersfield or Rot-Weiß Essen, probably also lacked the aura to be able to get an unstable team like Mainz on its feet.
Siewert himself promoted himself and his coaching staff on Sunday. “We did everything possible for the team to be successful in every match,” but it was not to be, with a record of one victory, six draws and five losses with a goal difference of 7:11. From these two numbers it is clear that Mainz was always competitive under Siewert, but had lost sight of what was important: that is, the ability to score enough goals to win close games. Until two weeks ago, the emphatic defensive guidance Siewert gave his team stood in the way.
Great frustration in Mainz
0-1 against Union Berlin Meanwhile, Rheinhessen had enough opportunities to score. And in Stuttgart, Anthony Caci (minute 2), Merveille Papela (minute 24) and Jessic Ngankam missed three great opportunities before the break to put their team ahead. When Ludovic Ajorque finally scored with a header (76th minute), Stuttgart was already impregnable 3-0 thanks to goals from Mittelstädt (45th + 2), Leweling (45th + 5th) and Undav (73rd). In short, Siewert's zero five also lacked a bit of luck in the game.
Mainz's frustration was enormous after the end of the match in Stuttgart. He broke both attacker Jonathan Burkardt and the captain and goalkeeper. Robin Zentner free rein and reflected the state of an unstable and easily shaken team. Burkardt, an intelligent man, said that Stuttgart's first goal had “completely destroyed” his team. Even a reasonably ordered second part was of no use. “We are not in a position to take hits on the neck,” Burkardt concluded.
“We need a sense of achievement”
Zentner also complained that Mainz were “very passive” after conceding the first goal and “submerged in self-pity.” “We need a sense of accomplishment. That's the only thing that allows you to get up.” However, after the second goal, “he started to think that they wouldn't knock us down here.”
The next opportunity to break the negative trend will be on Saturday, in the home match against FC Augsburg. With a coach on the bench who should guarantee victories and collective confidence: a herculean task that Benjamin Hoffmann will probably take on. The 44-year-old worked very successfully as a youth A coach at Mainz 05 for four years before taking charge of the U23 youth team from Siewert, who was promoted to professional in January. Now, the former Borussia Dortmund youth coach and youth coordinator could replace Siewert for the second time in just a few months. In any case, it would be a solution since the resource Jurgen Klopp The year 2001 is a typical Mainz event.