The personnel situation in the three-man backline at Mainz 05 does not offer any real relief. So it’s a good thing that David Nemeth gained match practice after his first Bundesliga appearance for the Austrian U 21s.
Because that’s one factor the young defender lacked until 3 October. That’s when Bo Svensson brought on Nemeth for the shoulder-injured Jeremiah St. Juste against 1. FC Union (1:2). A decent debut in the Bundesliga with light in the form of a ball conquest before the opening goal and shadow in the form of a lost duel against Taiwo Awoniyi, who was very strong on this day, before the 1:2. It can happen on a debut in the top flight. Will this first appearance be followed by a second on Saturday at Borussia Dortmund?
Last fit centre-back
Now, St. Juste is still missing. It is still unclear whether the Dutchman will need surgery. Moussa Niakhate is definitely back and thus set alongside Stefan Bell. But will Alexander Hack be at one hundred percent by the weekend? The 28-year-old only took part in running training on Tuesday. That does not necessarily speak in favour of a starting appearance for BVB. This means that, alongside the skilled wing-backs Silvan Widmer and Anderson Lucoqui – both of whom Svensson believes can play in the three-man backline – Nemeth would be the top candidate for a place alongside Bell and Niakhate. And the Austrian is the only trained centre-back still available in the FSV squad.
It may be a courtesy to FSV that ÖFB youth coach Werner Gregoritsch did not bring Nemeth on until the final phase of the 3-1 defeat to Finland in Tampere this Tuesday. In Pärnu, in the compulsory 4-0 win over Estonia, Nemeth was still in the starting eleven. Immediately after the decisive 3-0 win, however, Gregoritsch had taken the 20-year-old off the pitch five days after his Bundesliga debut. That substitution against Berlin was Nemeth’s first mandatory club game of the current season after he was forced to miss what felt like half of Mainz’s squad in August with Corona.
Also his robustness speaks for Nemeth
Recent match practice could help the youngster to underpin his status as an alternative to Svensson more quickly. With a view to Dortmund, Nemeth’s robustness and two-fight toughness speak in his favour, while Widmer, who was given preference against 1. FC Union as Niakhate’s substitute, has advantages in terms of pace
