The Europa League. Many clubs put their noses up at the horrific thought of having to play Thursday/Sunday every other week, whilst a minority feel the competition provides them with an opportunity to challenge for a trophy. For a club such as Mainz, even if the Europa League would hamper them domestically, trips across Europe for the 05'ers supporters would be an exciting prospect. Yet a 3-1 defeat in Greece to Asteras Tripolis brought their continental campaign to an abrupt and surprising end.
It has been a summer filled with exits for the club which call the Coface Arena their home. The first was arguably the most shocking and could well have the biggest effect on Mainz this season: the departure of manager Thomas Tuchel. He guided Mainz to a fantastic 7th place finish and neutrals were frothing at the mouth at what he could potentially do with a talented side this season. Tuchel was even dubbed the "new Jurgen Klopp", who of course also managed Mainz. This then makes his exit even more the surprising. He was heavily linked with the Schalke job, rumoured to have been secretly talking to the Gelsenkirchen outfit. Now his most likely next destination is a place as an assistant to Joachim Low on the Germany bench.
One man who did move from Mainz to Schalke was Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, and along with Nicolai Muller's exit to Hamburg, new manager Kasper Hjulmand has seen two of the club's most important players, both of whom provided plenty of attacking intent, leave. Choupo-Moting was a fantastic option off the bench for Mainz, always seemingly leaving his mark, whether it be with a goal or an assist. Muller scored 9 goals last season, with the majority coming in the first half of the campaign, and he was a pivotal figure in Mainz's charge to Europa League football. Australian forward Nikita Rukavytsya has returned from a loan spell from FSV Frankfurt, yet is unlikely to be a first team regular. If no other striker is signed, all the emphasis and pressure is on the shoulders of Shinji Okazaki.
Hjulmand himself is already under pressure. The Europa League tie against Asteras Tripolis saw them not being clinical enough in the first leg, with them being defensively inept in the second. The Greek side deservedly went through to the play-off round; they had chances in both games. The Danish manager, who has arrived from FC Nordsjaelland, even tried going with a three-man defence at one stage, a tactic which was successfully deployed by the likes of the Netherlands and Costa Rica at the World Cup. Hjulmand needs the time to get his managerial style across to his players. Although a Europa League adventure would have been an added bonus for the supporters, exiting the competition early could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Hjulmand.
There could well be another big exit to come by the time the transfer window draws to its conclusion. 21-year old goalkeeper, Loris Karius, who produced a magnificent double save in that loss in Greece, has been heavily linked with Portuguese champions Benfica (although Stefanos Kapino is a useful replacement). It will be a season of change and transition for Mainz. Okazaki has to consistently perform and be at his best, yet if he isn't, Mainz could well be in a spot of bother. They're not expected to be relegated, but they're not expected to have such as good a season as last year. Only time will tell where Mainz will be in the Bundesliga pecking order. Their next challenge is a trip to 3.Liga leaders Chemnitzer in the Pokal. A shock exit from that competition could also be a possibility. Should that happen, more questions will be asked of Hjulmand.