A season that began on a promising note proved to be a disappointing one in the end for Mainz who just about managed to stay above the relegation zone. After a shaky start to the campaign that saw them fail to win their opening four games, Mainz settled down to enjoy a decent first half of the season that helped them remain in contention for a European qualification spot while also putting up good displays in the Europa League group stage, though it was not enough to secure a passage to the knockout stages. Mainz hit a rough patch of form in December and the side went into the winter break sitting outside the top half of the league table. Coach Martin Schmidt was not able to turn the form around after the campaign resumed and a poor run of just two wins from 12 games saw Mainz drop dangerously close to the relegation zone. A mini-revival helped Mainz remain out of the bottom three but they were not able to escape the relegation battle and had to wait until the final day of the campaign to secure their safety, with Wolfsburg's defeat meaning that Mainz managed to finish 15th in the table even though they also lost their final game.
Despite a dismal campaign, Schmidt has managed to hold on to his job but will be aware that his side needs to hit the ground running next season. Scoring goals proved to be a major problem for Schmidt who lacked a regular goal scorer with new signings Levin Oztunali and Jhon Cordoba top scoring with just five goals though Oztunali also chipped in with six assists and was one of the few bright spots for Schmidt. Performances though were poor across the board and it is one area where Mainz will have to improve if they are to avoid another poor campaign next season.
