Mainz 05 sporting director Niko Bungert, head coach Urs Fischer and captain Silvan Widmer have delivered a damning assessment of their side’s 4-1 defeat to Elversberg, with all three admitting that the team are struggling with confidence following another disappointing performance.

Mainz travelled to the URSAPHARM-Arena looking to respond after their midweek DFB-Pokal elimination against VfL Bochum. However, they endured another miserable evening, with Felix Keidel, Francis Onyeka and Maurice Krattenmacher putting the hosts three goals ahead before half-time.

Speaking after the match, sporting director Bungert admitted that Mainz have been playing without confidence, suggesting that the team’s recent struggles are becoming a psychological issue.

“Over the last three days, both in Bochum and today, we have played without any confidence whatsoever. With and without the ball, nothing has looked natural, almost as if someone has switched off a switch in our heads,” Bungert explained.

“It was painful to see the team collectively in this condition. A general sense of uncertainty has developed in a very short space of time. We know we are capable of much better, but after today’s game we are relatively lost for words.”

Head coach Fischer also struggled to find an explanation for his side’s latest setback, pointing towards recurring defensive problems and the ease with which Elversberg were able to punish their opponents.

“I'm a bit speechless; you have to be careful not to say the wrong thing and sleep on it. We invited the opponent back in. They're scoring easy goals, the games are repeating themselves – it seems to be a mental issue,” Fischer told Sky.

The Mainz coach did acknowledge an improvement after the interval, although the damage had already been done following a disastrous opening 45 minutes.

“After the break, we showed a performance that you can accept. However, the first half was simply not good enough. It’s about getting back up again. We can no longer influence what has happened,” he added.

Captain Silvan Widmer was equally critical, admitting that Elversberg thoroughly deserved their victory after outworking and overpowering the visitors.

“It was a truly awful first half; we had no control and no bite. The defeat, even by that margin, is deserved because the opponent completely outplayed us,” Widmer said.

“We had high hopes after Tuesday's disappointing game, and now we've hit rock bottom. Before the match, the team seemed fresh, then we found ourselves chasing a deficit again and appeared unsettled. There's no way to sugarcoat it.”

Mainz will now have little time to dwell on another disappointing result, with a daunting home fixture against Bayern Munich awaiting them next weekend. Fischer will be hoping his players can respond quickly, particularly after admitting that the team’s current difficulties appear to extend beyond the tactical side of the game.