For the first time since the end of November, Phillipp Mwene played 90 minutes in a Mainz 05 jersey. He was quite satisfied with his own performance, but not with the 1-1 final score against HSV.
“I’m ready. If the coach needs me, I’m there. I believe I did my job. Nevertheless, I would have preferred to win and maybe play worse…” The 32-year-old was not satisfied after the 1-1 draw against Hamburger SV.
Phillipp Mwene returned to his original starting position for Silvan Widmer, who was suspended due to yellow cards. Since mid-January, coach Urs Fischer had played Widmer on the left and Danny da Costa on the right in five games. “The guys did well before, so you have to be a little patient,” emphasized Mwene, who was plagued by “one or two cramps” in the final stages of the game against HSV.
Mwene was baffled by Hamburg’s complaints about Mainz’s tackling: “Everyone saw how they complained to the referee about every little thing and demanded things. Five players ran up to him. There was no yellow card. Of course, the opposing players also want to take advantage of every opportunity, but nevertheless, I think the referee did a good job.” There was no trace of the once-praised captain’s rule.
On the other hand, 1. FSV Mainz 05 was lucky that referee Robin Braun did not show yellow-red cards after Silas’ tackle in the 39th minute and Dominik Kohr’s in the 53rd minute. “The substitutions came at the right time,” said FSV coach Urs Fischer with a wink.
“I had the feeling that the HSV players wanted to provoke these yellow-red cards a bit,” criticized Mwene, who looked back on “a very intense game.” “With the two or three chances we had shortly before the end, we should have rewarded ourselves and taken the win,” he complained. According to Mwene, Mainz lacked “the final punch” in the numerous corner and free kick situations.