Stefan Bell is one of the leaders in the team of Mainz 05. Playing a solid season under Bo Svensson, Mainz seem to finally be established in 1.Bundesliga for long-term. As one of the team captains, Bell plays an important role for Svensson – on and off the pitch. At the age of 30, Bell is a routineer. He already plays for the club since he is 16 despite rumors about a potential transfer to the Premier League.
In this tactical analysis, we will take a look at his role in Mainz 05’s tactics. Furthermore, in this analysis, we will discover his strengths and weaknesses.
Role in the system
Bo Svensson lines up his team in a basic 5-3-2 structure during the opponent’s build-up play. When his side tries to press high up the pitch, this can change to a 3-4-3 with one central midfielder moving into a winger’s position and both wing-backs moving up as well. In their own build-up play, Mainz plays in a 3-4-1-2 formation with both wing-backs in midfield and one central midfielder moving higher in between the lines to support the attack building an advanced passing option in the center of the pitch. Bell is used as centre-back on the right side.
With Hack being injured several times this season, Bell played in the center as well. Playing this role has advantages and disadvantages for Bell as we will see later on.
Data analysis
To get an overview about Stefan Bells strengths and weaknesses, we take a closer look at his data and statistics. In the following chart, we compared Bells impact to the impact of other centre-backs in the top 5 leagues in the 2021/22 campaign. First of all, we look at his defensive stats.
Bell goe
