Bundesliga 2023–24: 1. FSV Mainz 05’s Battle Against Relegation
Visualizing the Die Nullfünfer’s journey across the season
At the beginning of any league season, fans look forward to a successful campaign. How success is defined depends on the particular team/club.
In the Bundesliga, the top level of German football, outside of FC Bayern München fans (and possibly Borussia Dortmund fans), success for a club could be to qualify for European competition or to not be relegated to the second division.
While Bayer 04 Leverkusen surprised many by topping the league with an invincible season (no losses!), 1. FSV Mainz 05 spent the season working to avoid relegation. This was not expected, as the previous 2 seasons had seen Mainz finish in the top ten, finishing the 2022–23 season four points from qualifying for European play. There was hope that this would be a year they qualify for European play, but a much different story unfolded.
Who are Die Nullfünfer (Zerofivers)?
1. FSV Mainz 05, Die Nullfünfer (Zerofivers), a German football club that was founded in 1905, first reached the Bundesliga in 2004, led by Jürgen Klopp, and remained for three seasons before being relegated in 2007. They rejoined the Bundesliga for the the 2009–10 season and have remained in the top flight of German football, qualifying for European play on three occasions.
Historical Performance
How Mainz has performed each Bundeliga season since 2009–2010.
As can be seen, the 2023–24 campaign was their worst season, even though they were slightly ahead of their worst first half performance in 2020–21. How did their season compare to the other teams for the recent season?
Bundeliga Standings
A look at the 2023–24 Bundesliga season
Midseason and Final Tables
There wasn’t much change in teams at the top and bottom of the table between midseason and the end of the season — Heidenheim replaced Freiburg in the qualifying for European play, and Bochum moved down to the relegation playoff spot that was occupied by Mainz at midseason.
Week-by-Week Standings
The position (Europe play, relegation, or somewhere in between (no man’s land)) of each team after each Match Day.
After spending most the season in the relegation zone, how did Mainz manage to avoid relegation?
Mainz 2023–24: A Season in Three Acts
As the season played out, in addition to Die Nullfünfer, there were a handful of teams that were battling to avoid relegation: SV Darmstadt 98, 1. FC Köln, VfL Bochum 1848 and 1. FC Union Berlin. Here’s how the battle played out with a focus on the bottom six positions in the table.
Act I —Match Days 1–9
This was definitely not the start to the season fans were expecting.
Act II — Match Days 10–21
After a poor start, it was hoped a change in managers would get the team to perform better on the pitch.
Act III — Match Days 22–24
After continuing to struggle, another managerial change was made. would it be enough to avoid relegation?
Thus, by playing their best football in the last part of the season, they were able to avoid relegation.
The Season in its Entirety
Final Thoughts
While the 2023–24 season did not go as expected for Die Nullfünfers, the season did end on a high note with five (fünf) wins, zero (null) losses, and four draws in their last nine games. While a key player or two may be leaving in the offseason, there is hope that they can challenge for European play in the 2024–25 season.
(All code for the visualizations can be found in the following Github repository).
