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Inconsistency has been a common theme for Mainz this season. Too often strong performances have been followed up by moments of sloppiness, sometimes in the same game. If you look up consistency in the dictionary, however, there are just two words: Stefan Bell. The 31-year-old is the longest-serving current Mainz player and he has been a real servant throughout his time at the club. The defender proved once again on matchday 20 against Augsburg why he is an FSV asset.
Bell is renowned for his humbleness and he often lets his teammates have the limelight. After the 3-1 win over FCA, he light-heartedly pushed Jae-Sung Lee in the direction of the celebrating fans so the South Korean could take the spotlight after his stunning performance. The stalwart, however, was still visibly delighted with his own strong outing which earned him a place in the Kicker Team of the Week. Bell won 83% of his tackles and 80% of his aerial duels against the Fuggerstädter but despite being 31-years-old, the defender is always looking to improve. Despite his superb showing, after the game, Bell expressed his annoyance that he didn’t manage to convert a headed chance he was presented with in the first half. “That was a bitter moment because I should have scored. I didn’t catch it right and I am happy that it didn’t have an impact on the game. That’s how a striker must feel when they miss a big chance and the team doesn’t go on to win the game,” he explained after the final whistle.
“Bello is simply an important part of our backline”
The quality of Bell, who was born just down the road in Andernach, has of course not been lost on head coach Bo Svensson. The Dane, a former defender himself, sang Bello’s praises after the 3-1 win at the weekend. “He is simply an important part of our backline. You’re making a big mistake if you write Bello off. Everyone has to be clear on that. As long as I’m head coach here I would have to be pretty sure of myself if I was going to write him off,” said Svensson. Bell also explained that he believes he has more to offer than just his strengths on the pitch: “In a team sport, there are other important factors than the ones you can measure,” said Bell, referring to the soft skills that one needs to possess in order to be a leader on the pitch. “They are often overlooked. I am perhaps valuable to the team in areas such as coaching on the pitch.”
Bell had a frustrating start to the year after he picked up an injury during the winter break. “I played hardly any of the friendlies. That’s why I was understandably left out of the team.” The defender missed out against Dortmund due to fitness and he was absent from the game against Stuttgart due to suspension. Since the Bochum game, however, the 31-year-old has regained his place in the team and has impressed with his typically solid performances. Bell also believes the back-line has regained its “depth”, which was “somewhat missing” during the first half of the campaign.
“You can sense the pressure of players wanting to stay in the team”
Fellow defenders Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Edi Fernandes also shone against Augsburg and dealt with almost everything that the opponents threw at them. “We were good and we were stable. We didn’t allow them the chance to win the ball too high up the pitch and we often made the right decisions in the duels,” praised Bell. Due to Mainz’s desire to press their opponents high up the pitch, Bell had to deal with lots of long balls against Bochum and Augsburg. More often than not, the centre-half came out on top in these duels and he fully aware of their importance: “It is important that we win the duels at the back and try to get the ball back in the opposition half. That was the key and it gives the players at the top of the pitch the feeling that their high presses are paying off.” As always, the 31-year-old pointed out the areas in which improvements can be made: “We can do better in terms of shifting and covering each other. You can’t always win the duels in those situations and that was the case yesterday. There’s still room for improvement but it will be good if there are fewer changes than in the first half of the season, which we were often forced into,” he said. Bell also believes there is a healthy competition for places within the team: “You can sense the pressure of players wanting to stay in the team.”
Mainz have picked up some important wins against the teams around them in the table and they will be looking to do the same in the upcoming fixtures against Leverkusen (Sunday, 19th February, 19:30 CET) and Gladbach (Friday, 24th February, 20:30 CET).
Inconsistency has been a common theme for Mainz this season. Too often strong performances have been followed up by moments of sloppiness, sometimes in the same game. If you look up consistency in the dictionary, however, there are just two words: Stefan Bell. The 31-year-old is the longest-serving current Mainz player and he has been a real servant throughout his time at the club. The defender proved once again on matchday 20 against Augsburg why he is an FSV asset.
Bell is renowned for his humbleness and he often lets his teammates have the limelight. After the 3-1 win over FCA, he light-heartedly pushed Jae-Sung Lee in the direction of the celebrating fans so the South Korean could take the spotlight after his stunning performance. The stalwart, however, was still visibly delighted with his own strong outing which earned him a place in the Kicker Team of the Week. Bell won 83% of his tackles and 80% of his aerial duels against the Fuggerstädter but despite being 31-years-old, the defender is always looking to improve. Despite his superb showing, after the game, Bell expressed his annoyance that he didn’t manage to convert a headed chance he was presented with in the first half. “That was a bitter moment because I should have scored. I didn’t catch it right and I am happy that it didn’t have an impact on the game. That’s how a striker must feel when they miss a big chance and the team doesn’t go on to win the game,” he explained after the final whistle.
“Bello is simply an important part of our backline”
The quality of Bell, who was born just down the road in Andernach, has of course not been lost on head coach Bo Svensson. The Dane, a former defender himself, sang Bello’s praises after the 3-1 win at the weekend. “He is simply an important part of our backline. You’re making a big mistake if you write Bello off. Everyone has to be clear on that. As long as I’m head coach here I would have to be pretty sure of myself if I was going to write him off,” said Svensson. Bell also explained that he believes he has more to offer than just his strengths on the pitch: “In a team sport, there are other important factors than the ones you can measure,” said Bell, referring to the soft skills that one needs to possess in order to be a leader on the pitch. “They are often overlooked. I am perhaps valuable to the team in areas such as coaching on the pitch.”
Bell had a frustrating start to the year after he picked up an injury during the winter break. “I played hardly any of the friendlies. That’s why I was understandably left out of the team.” The defender missed out against Dortmund due to fitness and he was absent from the game against Stuttgart due to suspension. Since the Bochum game, however, the 31-year-old has regained his place in the team and has impressed with his typically solid performances. Bell also believes the back-line has regained its “depth”, which was “somewhat missing” during the first half of the campaign.
“You can sense the pressure of players wanting to stay in the team”
Fellow defenders Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Edi Fernandes also shone against Augsburg and dealt with almost everything that the opponents threw at them. “We were good and we were stable. We didn’t allow them the chance to win the ball too high up the pitch and we often made the right decisions in the duels,” praised Bell. Due to Mainz’s desire to press their opponents high up the pitch, Bell had to deal with lots of long balls against Bochum and Augsburg. More often than not, the centre-half came out on top in these duels and he fully aware of their importance: “It is important that we win the duels at the back and try to get the ball back in the opposition half. That was the key and it gives the players at the top of the pitch the feeling that their high presses are paying off.” As always, the 31-year-old pointed out the areas in which improvements can be made: “We can do better in terms of shifting and covering each other. You can’t always win the duels in those situations and that was the case yesterday. There’s still room for improvement but it will be good if there are fewer changes than in the first half of the season, which we were often forced into,” he said. Bell also believes there is a healthy competition for places within the team: “You can sense the pressure of players wanting to stay in the team.”
Mainz have picked up some important wins against the teams around them in the table and they will be looking to do the same in the upcoming fixtures against Leverkusen (Sunday, 19th February, 19:30 CET) and Gladbach (Friday, 24th February, 20:30 CET).
