Mainz have been soaring high above where people expected them to be at this point of the season. Having flirted with the Champions League spots and now strongly in contention for a Europa League spot, Mainz have been one of the biggest surprises in a league that has thrown many.
At the heart of it all has been their rugged defensive midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger. Boasting the best tackling stats in the first half of the season, the Austrian has been a hugely influential figure in an immensely impressive Mainz midfield. Behind the curtains theyai??i??ve had manager Christian Heidel, running the club and ensuring this well oiled machine never faltered.
TheHardTackle’s Bundesliga editor, Aditya Balaram, caught up with both these important figures at Mainz, discussing the clubai??i??s aspirations, their youth and also more jovial matters.
AB: Mainz 05 are heavily involved in the intense battle for European spots at the moment. Given the club’s upcoming fixtures, do you (Heidel) fancy Mainz to qualify for the Champions Leauge?
Christian Heidel: At this point, no one in our club is dreaming about the Champions League, which is reserved only for the top three in the league. At least not yet. But it would be great for all of us in Mainz if we could qualify for the Europa League a third time around after 2005 and 2009. This would also support the extraordinary development the club underwent in the last years. The way we plan the season would not be affected by qualifying for the Europa League ai??i?? an adventure like this can end pretty quickly.
AB: Matching up to the quality in the Europa League is an intimidating task. If Mainz do qualify for it, do you (Heidel) fancy a place in the group stages next season? Even further, maybe?
Christian Heidel: First of all, we would just try to enjoy it as much as possible, but we would not formulate a specific goal. Playing well in the Bundesliga is our primary concern, playing in the Europa League would just be the icing on the cake. We have to always keep in mind how wonderful it is just to have the possibility to play internationally now ai??i?? ten years ago, Mainz 05ai??i??s main goal was to stay in the second division league of Germany.
AB: You (Baumgartlinger) have a reputation for being well-spoken in interviews. How important is it, do you think, for professional footballers to communicate with the media and with the fans?
Julian Baumgartlinger: I believe it is very important, especially since there are so many media outlets out there. It is part of the job of a football player to do interviews with the media, and I think it is of the essence that you think carefully about what you are saying and how you are going to say it, because it will be on air and on the record for quite some time. As for the communication with the fans, I believe that especially Social Media opens up a whole new way to communicate with the followers. I do have my own Facebook page and try to update the fans on certain things that are going on in my life as a professional football player, for instance snapshots from the Training camp or from the National team. They can leave their feedback in return. It is a pretty cool way to stay in touch.
AB: Eugen Polanski and yourself (Baumgartlinger) had formed a delightful central midfield partnership but his departure in the winter brought an end to it. Was it difficult for you to get used to linking up with another player? How does the three man midfield with Elkin Soto and Niki Zimling feel in comparison to earlier?
Julian Baumgartlinger: It is always sad to see a good player leave the club, but I think Niki Zimling is doing a real good job taking his place. But position-wise, our team is pretty flexible. Our coach Thomas Tuchel does switch up the tactics according to the opponent, so it was not only Eugen and I playing in central midfield, Elkin Soto and I also played together quite often. Depending on the strategy, I have even played in the right side midfield a few times. Just like in the last game against Nuremberg, where we were playing 4-4-2 diamond. I actually think it is a strong point of our team that we do not need to play in the same tactical structure all the time, but can be more flexible depending on what the match against the next opponent calls for.
AB: What do you (Baumgartlinger) think of numbers and statistics in football? Are they useful for measuring a player’s ability and contribution to the team?
Julian Baumgartlinger: Yes and No. Statistics may be measured much more accurately these days, and now you can read all kinds of numbers from how many kilometers a player ran in a game to a percentage of how many tackles he won. But statistics donai??i??t always tell the real story of the game. Our game against Nuernberg is a prime example ai??i?? we had 68 % ball possession and won 55 % of all the tackles, had twice as many shots to the goal and twice as many corner kicks as the opponent, but still lost the game. In the end, it is important to score the goals, and if you donai??i??t do that, possessing the ball during 68 % of the game is not going to help you at all. Also, it is quite tricky to interpret the numbers correctly. Bottom line ai??i?? I think the stats are a merely a reference point as to how the game was. Nothing more and nothing less.
Christian Heidel – The man behind it all
AB: Jan Kirchhoff and Andreas Ivanschitz are set to leave the club, so will we see any new arrivals in the summer? Invest in youth or bring in more established players?
Christian Heidel: We will try to slowly lead our young talents to professional football. But we will also present new, experienced players to be able to solidify our spot in the Bundesliga.
AB: Have you (Heidel) been impressed enough by any youth players that you could see them earn a spot in the senior team next season?
Christian Heidel: In Germany, the Deutsche FuAYball Liga (DFL ai??i?? the German Football League) is testing the youth academies of the clubs on a regular basis. The youth academy of Mainz 05 has received top ratings and rave reviews in the last years and was able to establish a position as one of the top academies in the nation. At this moment, 15 of the youth national players are from Mainz and I am sure that we will be seeing some of them in the Bundesliga soon. But I donai??i??t want to throw out any names, as we donai??i??t want to put extra pressure on them by throwing their hat into the media ring.
AB: On a more jovial note, when you (Baumgartlinger) score your first goal for Mainz, what kind of celebration can we look forward to?
Julian Baumgartlinger: I donai??i??t now ai??i?? I am not exactly a defensive midfielder who is known to be dangerous in front of the goal (laughs). But we will see. I think if I should score my first Bundesliga goal, I will come up with something spontaneously and let you guys know.
AB: What has been your (Baumgartlinger) most cherished Bundesliga memory so far?
Julian Baumgartlinger: Just playing in the Bundesliga. Every single game is memorable. Especially since the level of quality is so high and gets better with every year. Seeing how well the German teams are doing in the international cups like the Europa League and the Champions League, where two of the four half finalists are German teams, is a good indication as to how strong the Bundesliga has become.
AB: Is there a possibility that you (Baumgartlinger) will leave Mainz for another club in the future? Do you have any specific destinations in mind?
Julian Baumgartlinger: Well, contractually I do have two more years here. And I actually feel no rush to leave Mainz at all. I think Mainz 05 is a wonderful club that really helps develop young players and helps me as a player to make the most of myself. Plus I like the city and the atmosphere here very much. I think Iai??i??ll stick around a little longer. (laughs)
TheHardTackle thanks Julian Baumgartlinger and Christian Heidel for taking their time off and answering our questions, and also Mainz’s assistant media director, Silke Bannick, for helping conduct the interview.
