“Having no fear is the most important thing”

Bo Henriksen’s first day as Mainz head coach is done and dusted. Those who didn’t know the Dane prior to his appointment got the chance to learn all about him at Tuesday afternoon’s 45-minute press conference at the MEWA ARENA. The new boss was full of excitement, energy and optimism as he discussed his new job, the coming few days and his idea of leadership. Christian Heidel was also present to explain the decision to hire Henriksen after parting company with Jan Siewert.

The most important quotes from Christian Heidel and Bo Henriksen

HEIDEL ON…

... Jan Siewert’s departure: "There hasn’t been much cause for carnival celebrations here in the past few days. A lot has been said about Mainz often changing their coach on carnival, however that’s completely irrelevant. It’s more about the fact that we’re now approaching the final third of the season. We discussed things with Jan on Monday and analysed everything once again. We had a strange record with not enough points and goals, but the second-best defensive record after Leverkusen during his reign. We’ve lost four games 1-0. This decision wasn’t easy for us because Jan is a great guy and a great coach too. He was extremely sad as he has a really close relationship with this club. The door will always remain open for him. We had to react now though.”

...the decision to hire Bo Henriksen: "We first made contact with Bo last Friday after I spoke to his agent Ebbe Sand, who I know from Schalke. We were prepared and had spoken in great detail with Bo in case we needed to react. We then signed his contract on Monday night. Our job was to find a coach who can have an impact in the dressing room and on the players’ minds. We looked at what he’d changed and achieved at his previous clubs. We wanted to find the kind of coach that can take away the players’ fear and give them some confidence. It’s another fresh start now. Every single player has to understand how important our current situation is. I’m confident that Bo can get that across to the players. He is a genuine and authentic personality, something I realised from our very first chat. I’ve got a really good feeling and I’m confident the players will too tomorrow. It’s no guarantee, but it’s a good basis heading into the Augsburg game.”

Every single player has to understand how important our current situation is.

...rumours about Benjamin Hoffmann: "This is important to me as Benni Hoffmann’s name has come up a lot. I had a long conversation with him back in December, where we both decided that he would move up from the U19s to the U23s, but would continue with the Youth League. He’s a really talented coach and will definitely make it to the Bundesliga one day – he’s got the ability for that. Everybody knows that we like to be careful with our coaches here and try to find the right time for them. We’re in a really tricky position right now and we wanted to go for someone experienced. Bo knows how to deal with a relegation battle. I don’t think giving Benni the job at this time would have been the right decision. It was never considered, but that’s nothing against Benni Hoffmann.”

HENRIKSEN ON…

...his job at Mainz 05: "I would like to thank Christian for this chance. It’s a great opportunity for me. I will try my best to have a positive impact here. I want to remain authentic, both when dealing with the players and the media. As a result, I will speak English. Everybody should get a feel for me and understand me as best they can. I will continue to learn German and hopefully that won’t take too long.”

...his approach for the coming days: "The most important thing as a coach is working with people. I want to know where every single individual stands right now. Tactics are obviously important in the long run, however everyone needs to be happy within their own role. I will speak to the leaders, the coaching team and all the other staff members. We want to get the team’s belief back in the coming days. Everybody needs to believe that we can beat Augsburg on Saturday and I already do. We want to start developing this winning mentality tomorrow. It is cultivated in training with lots of shooting. Three days of training together is plenty of time, it’s fantastic.”

...how he will work with the team: "We all want to show what we’re capable of. I’ve watched lots of games in the past few days. There are players with quality but without confidence. I think this team has lots of power, intensity and quality on the ball, but that doesn’t matter – we need to show it. I know we can win games. I’ve often been in charge of teams that are fighting against relegation and I’ve never been relegated. I fully believe we will stay up this time too. We need to understand what our strengths are and then make sure our philosophy matches them. We need to get this back – if we do, our belief will return as well. We can talk all we like, however experiencing success together is the most important thing is life. That’s the key point. We need to train well and carry that into games.”

...his personality: "I consider myself a normal person, but some of my players would probably say I’m a bit crazy. I’m just good at being myself. Everybody should be themselves and stick to what they believe in. I believe in people and also that everyone should be treated with respect. I’m generally always prepared to do anything for a person I trust in life. That’s why it’s really important for me that my players trust me and believe in what I tell them. I want to give them everything they need and be a leader for them. I want them to believe in themselves and be brave. They can make mistakes – I’ll take full responsibility. A player that doesn’t want the ball, however, can simply come straight off the pitch.”

…his view on football: "Football should be enjoyable, that’s why everyone plays it. If we are just passive, play with fear and expect to lose, we obviously will do. Everything you fear in life will happen. We have to be ready to take risks. Having no fear is the most important thing.”

…his first game as Mainz coach: "The game against Augsburg has to be like a party. Everybody in the stadium needs to bring this kind of energy and be ready to fight for one other. Playing in such big stadiums is a dream for all of us, we need to show how much we enjoy it. We will need to be a horrible side to play against, as Mainz traditionally have been. If we manage that, we have a chance, both in home and away games. I’m looking forward to the weekend and I’m optimistic we will field a team full of confidence. Our players will not have any reason to not be.”

…the first training session on Wednesday afternoon: “Everyone is invited to our training sessions, but not every session will be open to the public. Nonetheless, everyone should be able to get a sense of what we’re about and see that we’re like a big family. We need to be proud of what we are.”