Mainz 05 head coach Urs Fischer made clear that his entire team maintained his full support despite last night’s lopsided result against Borussia Dortmund. After all, the 4-0 away defeat to BVB hardly constituted the end of the world. The loss snapped Mainz’s three-match Bundesliga winning streak. Thanks to the points picked up under Fischer, however, the Rheinhessen still sit comfortably above the relegation fray.
Mainz still generated a healthy xG
A 1.51 xG to Dortmund’s 2.32 meant that the scoreline remained misleading. Fischer declared himself satisfied with the squad’s performance, emphasizing as much repeatedly at the post-match press conference. The coach effectively conceded that nothing more could have been done; not after he and his staff had prepared as best as possible.
“I saw a really good first half from my team,” Fischer remarked at the press conference. “It was evenly matched over the first 45 minutes. We obviously need to learn how to defend better on set-pieces. We needed to use our bodies more effectively and get the positioning down better. We studied Dortmund’s set plays extensively, but, in the end the set-pieces were the differences. One has to defend better in those situations.
Fischer defends keeper Daniel Batz
The veteran back-up whom Fischer personally selected as his new No. 1 played a particularly poor match. Batz deflected the 2-0 into his own net and found himself too easily dominated on the 3-0. Fischer defended the 35-year-old, who did still make some solid saves from open play. Batz denied Felix Nmecha, Maximilian Beier and Julian Brandt in quick succession during a BVB onslaught phase between the 52nd and 57th minute.
“Of course the goalkeeper needs to do a better job of creating space for himself,” Fischer said. “But one also needs help from one’s teammates.“
Fischer says carnival celebrations will not be cancelled
The Mainz head coach noted that he would not deny his players a scheduled day off. The team can still enjoy some carnival festivities in the city early next week. It’s not uncommon for dissatisfied coaches to call the team back and schedule snap scrimmages whenever poor performances place league standing in jeopardy. Fischer nevertheless doesn’t assess the current situation as quite so serious.
“There’s still life beyond football,” Fischer said. “We will analyze this game objectively, just as we have analyzed the other games. There are certainly a few things to address, look at, and improve upon. [After the carnival celebrations], focus will shift to a very difficult home game against Hamburger SV.“
