Defenders admit Mainz could not handle Dortmund’s set-pieces

Silvan Widmer and Stefan Posch talked about Mainz’s difficulty in dealing with Borussia Dortmund’s set-piece routine after a heavy defeat.

Julian Ryerson was at the heart of action in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-0 win over Mainz as all the goals initiated from the Norwegian’s pinpoint deliveries. Mainz’s captain Silvan Widmer and January signing Stefan Posch admitted the difficulties they had defending set-pieces on the cold Friday night.

“Our main problem was defending set pieces poorly,” said the skipper in an interview with 05er TV.  “We need to be much more aggressive when there’s pushing, blocking, or pulling. That was the difference between Dortmund and us. We need to put this behind us and focus entirely on Hamburg.”

Mainz struggled to create big chances, with Widmer’s disallowed first-half goal one of the rare occasions they approached Dortmund’s box. The 32-year-old defender will now miss the game against Hamburg because of his fifth yellow card of the season.

Urs Fischer’s side will hope not to lose another defender for the relegation six-pointer after Stefan Bell’s early substitution due to an injury. Meanwhile, Stefan Posch saw three yellow cards in his first four appearances back in the Bundesliga.

“That was a rough evening,” reflected the former TSG Hoffenheim defender. “When you concede three goals from set pieces, it’s going to be tough to get anything from the game. We knew what to expect, so we needed to defend better, keep our opponents under control, and help our goalkeeper more.”

However, the Austrian is confident about Mainz’s chances of staying in the Bundesliga. “We’re still right in the thick of the relegation battle. Four games ago, we had 12 points. Now we have 21. Everyone would have taken that. The game against Hamburg will be completely different.”