Mainz 05 trainer Bo Henriksen appeared somber and reflective during what might be his final Bundesliga post-match press conference last night. Mainz management explicitly declined to back Henriksen following the latest humiliating defeat against Freiburg. Henriksen’s tone and posture at the presser appeared to suggest that the current state of the 50-year-old’s job had been conveyed to him.
“This is naturally a low point for us,” Henriksen said. “We were really bad before [Paul Nebel’s] red card [in the 28th minute]. After the red card, we were a bit better but it naturally wasn’t good enough. Sure I think a turnaround is possible. Bo Svennson orchestrated a turnaround before me and then I came and did it. Everything is possible in Mainz.”
Henriksen’s thoughts perhaps began to turn towards the final fate of his Danish compatriot as he continued speaking. Svensson was lauded as an absolute hero in the Palatinate capital after leading the team to an amazing historic escape during the latter half of the 2020/21 season. The former FSV head-coach’s time nevertheless came two Novembers ago.
The parallels are eerie. A run of nine straight winless matches left Mainz at the bottom of the Bundesliga table through nine matchdays. A cup loss against Hertha BSC on November 1st proved the last straw. Svensson resigned on November 2nd, 2023. Henriksen would be brought in to rescue the club in February 2024 after Mainz continued to flounder under Jan Siewert.
Henriksen’s time will the Nullfünfter, like Svensson’s, may come at the beginning of a month near the end of the calendar year. Henriksen sounded remarkably like his fellow Dane did in the final days of his regime whilst speaking last night. The man seemingly perfectly suited for the Carnival Club may not be around and in costume for this coming February’s parade.
“I’m not so important in this situation,” Henriksen said. “It’s all about the club. I give it my all and believe that I can keep going, but I’m not important. The club is important. My players also give it their all, but they’re completely blocked. That’s normal. It’s hard to function when you’re afraid and you’re not comfortable.
“We talk about it every day,” Henriksen went on. “It’s a mental thing. Everyone knows that. We can’t just accelerate out of this situation. We have to look to improve bit by bit. We’re trying to find solutions every day and today’s performance proved that.
“Sometimes in football, just like in life, things just don’t work,” Henriksen concluded. “And at the moment, it’s really not working at all. This is really, really bad.“
