Mainz coach Bo Svensson tested a full-back in the centre of defence against Kaiserslautern. There is still a shortage of personnel there because Jeremiah St. Juste is missing for a longer period of time and Alexander Hack could still need time.
Inside defenders are currently in short supply at 1. FSV Mainz 05. That’s why coach Bo Svensson deployed left-back Anderson Lucoqui alongside Stefan Bell in the centre of the back four in the charity test match against 1.FC Kaiserslautern (1:1). And the regular winger did a good job on Saturday, as did Svensson. Lucoqui was “calm and superior in his duels” against the third-division team. A variant with a future? “I have to watch what I say,” Svensson joked and lamented: “Because at the moment we have a tendency to lose centre-backs. “
St. Juste? “Nothing decided yet “
Recently, he was missing three defenders. At least Moussa Niakhaté returned from his thigh injury against Union Berlin (1:2), but was given a rest against Kaiserslautern. Jeremiah St. Juste, on the other hand, is likely to miss even longer. He is currently getting different opinions from medical experts about his shoulder injury. “Nothing has been decided yet,” says Svensson about the various possible treatment methods and downtimes.
“Our measurements show that he is on a good level. “
BO SVENSSON ON HACK
Then it is fitting that Alexander Hack’s quarantine ended last Friday. The 28-year-old had contracted COVID-19. “Our measurements show that he is at a good level,” says Svensson, but warns: “Still, it is something different to play football. Everyone copes with this disease differently.” That’s why rebuilding sessions are on the agenda for Hack, while his colleagues got Sunday and Monday off and will not train again until Tuesday.