FEATURE | Charting Mainz 05’s revival under Urs Fischer | OneFootball

In December 2025, Mainz parted ways with popular head coach Bo Henriksen after just one win in their opening 12 Bundesliga matches in 2025/26. Sitting rock bottom of the table, second team manager Benjamin Hoffman was placed in interim charge for the visit of Borussia Mönchengladbach, a match decided by an unfortunate own goal from defender Danny da Costa. The defeat left Mainz six points adrift of safety after only 13 games.

Fast forward two months to February 2026 and now under the stewardship of former Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer, the picture looks very different. Mainz have tasted defeat just once in the intervening nine games across all competitions. Lifting the team into 16th place, just a solitary point behind Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, and Hamburg, Fischer has given die Nullfünfer a new lease of life and more than a fighting chance of retaining their Bundesliga status.

Naturally, after being appointed mid-season, the former Union head coach was given the task of getting straight into the nitty-gritty of the season. First up was a tricky looking trip to Lech Poznań on the penultimate matchday of the UEFA Conference League league-phase. Despite taking the lead, they did well not to come away empty-handed after Nikolas Veratschnig was given his marching orders midway through the second half.

Next up was a visit to unbeaten Bayern Munich in a match that promised a Bundesliga baptism of fire for the Swiss, though how it turned out would prove to be the antithesis of what was expected. Leading 2-1 until a controversial Harry Kane penalty with minutes to go, Mainz gave die Rekordmeister their toughest test of the season up to that point and were left kicking themselves for not converting the performance into all three points.

In that game at the Allianz, Mainz deployed a defensive 5-4-1 formation which Fischer kept in place for the visit of St. Pauli the following week. After a 0-0 stalemate against Alexander Blessin’s team, the winter break gave Fischer a chance to get down to business with his new players on the training ground.

At the resumption of the league in January, they reverted to the 3-5-2 setup that had served Fischer so well with Union in the 22/23 season. The tactical reshuffle has allowed for certain players to flourish for die Nüllfunfer, particularly Nadiem Amiri and Jae-Sung Lee. Both attacking midfielders have been given the freedom to express themselves and have done so with great effect.

Fischer has also utilised crosses and set pieces to great effect since taking charge. During the impressive draw at Bayern, Mainz’s equalising goal came courtesy of a pinpoint free-kick from William Bøving and a powerful header from young defender Kacper Potulski.

Whilst the goal in which Mainz took the lead was quite outstanding, captain Stefan Bell picked the ball up just ahead of the halfway line, then sent a superb over the top ball to Jae-Sung Lee who brilliantly guided his header inside the far post while on the turn. In the 3-1 home victory over Wolfsburg, all three goals resulted from corners – the first two directly and the third courtesy of a penalty which Amiri would dispatch past Kamil Grabara, who had already saved a penalty earlier in the game.

Mainz’s upward trajectory under Urs Fischer

With momentum building, the coming weeks will provide a clearer indication of just how far Mainz’s revival can carry them. A run of fixtures against fellow strugglers Augsburg, Hamburg, and Werder Bremen looms, with each match carrying obvious significance in the relegation battle. These are the archetypal six-pointers that can define a season, and for Mainz, they represent an opportunity to climb out of the bottom three for the first time since matchday five.

What is beyond doubt is the scale of the turnaround Fischer has overseen since taking charge in December. He has revitalised a group that appeared destined to bring the club’s 17-year stay in Germany’s topflight to an end. They now find themselves not only confident of survival, but whisper it quietly, the prospect of a Conference League run that might well end with a trophy.

GGFN | Harry Good