DFB gem left on the bench again, this striker must save his career | OneFootball

They have "a brutal connection" and have already become "best buddies" on and off the field. For Mainz newcomer Phillip Tietz and Nadiem Amiri, everything just clicks. The striker immediately played his way into the starting lineup under Urs Fischer – making life even harder for another Mainz player.

Because Nelson Weiper must currently feel like he's in a bad movie that's on repeat. Once again, he's fighting for a starting spot because someone else is scoring the goals. After Jonathan Burkardt's departure to Eintracht, everything was supposed to get better.

Instead, there was trouble in the summer. Mainz wanted to extend his contract to avoid a free transfer in 2026. However, negotiations with the U21 European Champion dragged on so long that the club became frustrated and decided to send their homegrown talent to the U23 team. Weiper missed both the DFB-Pokal match against Dresden and the first leg of the Conference League playoff.

Before the Bundesliga started, there was good news: Weiper extended his contract until 2029 and was back in the squad. His then-coach Bo Henriksen was particularly pleased to have an "important player" back. All's well that ends well? That's what they initially thought. Together with newcomer Benedict Hollerbach and Jae-sung Lee, he formed the offensive trio in the first game against 1. FC Köln.

📸 Christian Kaspar-Bartke - 2025 Getty Images

In the following weeks, the 20-year-old, often compared to Nick Woltemade due to his stature, was also allowed to play at the top of the attack. His offensive partners changed now and then, but his minutes decreased. The ball just wouldn't go in – and since strikers are ultimately measured by goals (five euros into the phrase jar), he found himself on the bench more often.

There was also clear criticism from his coach, who had initially trusted him at the start of the season. "We played him in the starting lineup five or six times in the last two or three months. We haven't found the key," Henriksen said after the 0-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, adding: "He needs to get a bit better with his back to the goal."

His training performances were also criticized by the former coach. When Weiper missed the Conference League match against Universitatea Craiova, Henriksen cited poor training performance as the reason.

But even with a new coach, the turnaround didn't come. Under Urs Fischer, the U21 national player has only played 21 minutes in the Bundesliga. Although he missed two games due to illness, he didn't play in two matches despite being in the squad. At least the new Mainz coach didn't cite attitude as the problem.

The striker knows "what he needs to work on, where he still has potential. And he's currently implementing that well in training," Fischer said before the Bundesliga match against Leipzig. However, he also admitted that he couldn't guarantee the youngster playing time. It's "not possible to please everyone completely," Fischer knows.

Especially since the competition has intensified with the new signings. Tietz and Silas are not making life easier for Weiper. But he should be familiar with this situation – when his teammate wasn't Phillip, but Jonathan.

The lack of playing time could also have consequences for his comfort zone. With the German U21, he became vice European champion in the summer, scored in the final against England, and was the second-best German scorer behind Nick Woltemade.

But now others have overtaken him there as well. Nicolo Tresoldi, Said El Mala, and Lennart Karl are ensuring that Antonio Di Salvo puts Weiper on the bench. "He needs the trust, but he also needs the minutes," said his former Mainz youth coach Benjamin Hoffmann to 'Bild' when asked about Weiper's current form slump.

Hoffmann is sure: As soon as the first goal comes, more will follow more easily for Weiper. But until then, it's all about trust – and minutes. The "brutal connection" between Tietz and Amiri shows how quickly things can change for the better in Mainz. Weiper is still waiting for exactly this effect.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Christian Hofer - 2025 Getty Images