Zidan back to break Bremen hearts

The Bundesliga rarely witnesses such emotional scenes. After scoring a hat-trick in 1. FSV Mainz 05's 4-1 win against FC Energie Cottbus on 10 February, Mohamed Zidan and his coach Jürgen Klopp hugged enthusiastically on the touchline as the crowd roared their approval. The result had lifted Mainz out of the relegation zone, and the relief - and joy - of the occasion got to everyone.

Iconic image
The image of Klopp and Zidan embracing is now almost iconic at Mainz, symbolising their recent revival. And there is little doubt that Zidan has played an enormous part in raising his side out of the doldrums since completing a permanent €2.8m move from Werder Bremen in January. His seven league games for the club since have netted a mighty seven goals.

Tiny dynamo
Despite being just 1.72m tall, Zidan has become one of the heavyweights of the second half of the season, being named the Bundesliga's player of the month for February. "That's a great honour for me," said the 25-year-old. "That's the first award I've received in Germany." After spells in Denmark with Akademisk Boldklub and FC Midtjylland, Zidan came to Bremen during the 2004/05 campaign but never carved out a niche at the Weserstadion. However, he became a hero at Mainz after hitting nine goals in 26 appearances while on loan last term, and they were only too eager to sign him in January.

Hands-on approach
Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf's cool demeanour was perhaps not the best match for Zidan. Klopp believes his more hands-on approach has helped get the best possible performances out of the Egyptian international, saying: "Mohamed needs feedback from others, so I give it to him." Zidan agreed: "Klopp gives me a lot of warmth. I need to feel I am at home."

Weserstadion trip
Blessed with terrific pace and superb technique, Zidan is superb on the counterattack - something second-placed Bremen will need to be wary of as they seek to keep Mainz, in tenth position, under control at the Weserstadion on Sunday. With Bremen three points behind leaders FC Schalke 04, an away win could prove costly for the UEFA Cup quarter-finalists. The rest of the Bundesliga should beware too. "The best thing is that Zidan still has loads of potential," Klopp stated. "He hasn't trained that much with us and he's only about 80 per cent fit."