Mainz - Four wins in their last five games mean that 1. FSV Mainz 05 are very much still on course for a European finish.

Strength in depth

Their latest success, a 2-0 home win over Hannover 96 in the Coface Arena in Matchday 21’s opener, took them to 33 points and level, albeit temporarily, with fifth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. To be sure, there are a cluster of teams vying for those UEFA Europa League spots, but with a healthy momentum and a young, energetic side, Mainz appear to have a relaistic chance of repeating their 2010/11 finish, when they qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.

The performance against Tayfun Korkut’s Hannover side was not a vintage Mainz display, but it did showcase other qualities beginning to become apparent among the 05ers, ones just as important if their push for Europe is to endure. After a first half low on chances and dominated by an aggressive and tenacious Hannover midfield, Mainz found a clinical edge to open the scoring early in the second half through Yunus Malli, before substitute Maxim-Choupo Moting put the result beyond the fatigued visitors in injury time.

That the second goal arrived via the three substitutes - Ja-Cheol Koo and Niki Zimling combined to provide Cameroon international Choupo-Moting with a simple far-post tap-in - illustrated Tuchel’s intelligent reading of the situation with his side 1-0 up, as well as a new-found depth to the squad. Malli, Benedikt Saller and Nicolai Müller were an able supporting cast to lone striker Shinji Okazaki, before the substitute trio’s decisive contribution.

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