That is a remarkable record: FSV Mainz 05 finished four of the seven games under Bo Henriksen without conceding a goal. These “clean sheets”, the “clean sheets”, which the Dane repeatedly emphasizes and demands, were the key to the recovery after the second coaching change this season. The reasons for this are varied – and start with Robin Zentner.
“First of all, we have a good goalkeeper,” says Henriksen. It doesn’t always have to be the spectacular games like in Leipzig. The mere fact of having a courageous keeper who is not afraid to come out of his goal to clear up dangerous situations makes the work of those in front easier.
The 05 coach praises his defenders no less before the game this Saturday against TSG Hoffenheim (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky). Andreas Hanche-Olsen? “A Viking. Someone who can show the way. If we need a tactical foul to wake up the others, he can do that.” Sepp van den Berg?
“That’s what makes a real leader.”
“The General” when he plays in the middle of the chain, as he did recently in the 4-0 win against Darmstadt 98. Dominik Kohr? “He gets 250 yellow cards in a season.” There are a few unnecessary ones, but he is usually warned because of his very uncompromising tackling behavior. Kohr, the trained six, has now developed into a strong central defender. A role that he couldn’t cope with under Bo Svensson at the start of the season.
When he was eligible to play again last weekend after serving a yellow card suspension, Josuha Guilavogui, who had previously performed outstandingly in Leipzig, had to give way. How the potential defense chief dealt with it? As long as he as a coach is honest with the players, they can handle it. Given the current squad situation, in which almost everyone is on board, “I can’t make many players happy.”
This also includes Silvan Widmer, the captain, who was not in the starting line-up three times in a row. “The way he reacted to it was the best experience I had last week,” says coach Henriksen. “After our opening goal, he ran to Robin Zentner at the other end of the field and hugged him like he was the happiest person in the world. That’s what makes a real leader.”
Overall, his defenders are very well organized, especially in transition. “They know exactly what to do and learned a bit in Munich,” he recalls of the only outlier so far, the 8-1 defeat. In all other games, a maximum of one goal was conceded. “It shouldn’t be fun to play against us,” says Henriksen, asking his players not to deviate from their line.
“We don’t want to be nice, we just want to keep fighting hard.” His team also plays good football in the final third, as was recently seen in the 4-0 win against Darmstadt. The coach likes that, but it’s irrelevant. “At the moment it’s not important to play fantastic football, it’s to win games.”
Henriksen answers the question of whether the success against the “Lilies” gave the players additional energy. “I don’t think they can absorb more energy than they already had.” They are still hungry for the next positive experiences, which was shown in the training game between the boys and the old ones.
Peter H. Eisenhuth, Mainz Published/Updated: Jörg Daniels Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Published/Updated:
“The winners jumped around as if they had won something important,” says the coach. Who were the winners? “The old. They’re a little smarter. But the boys were close. At some point they will win too.”
