Amiri sings Henriksen's praises: "Everyone loves Bo"

When Bo Henriksen replaced Jan Siewert as Mainz coach in February, he took over a team in a very difficult position, but the Danish coach has done wonders so far to lift the club out of the relegation zone.

In an interview with Kicker, midfielder Nadiem Amiri explains that the Dane is "exactly the kind of coach Mainz needed".

"I have never experienced a football coach like Henriksen," said Amiri.

“He is a very positive person, full of energy and very good professionally. The way he approaches the players, the whole club, is unique. Everybody loves Bo. He's positively crazy and exactly the kind of coach Mainz needed.”

Amiri added that Henriksen embodies "exactly the right balance between seriousness and looseness," which the team will look to bring to the pitch again on Sunday when they take on FC Köln in a relegation battle.

“As I said after the Hoffenheim game: This relegation battle is fun. But everyone has to be aware of how tough the game will be.”

In the interview, Amiri also brushed off speculation linking him with a move to Eintracht Frankfurt, saying he's fully focused on Mainz at the moment.

“I'm not worried about such speculation because the here and now is so important for Mainz 05 and for me. I feel very comfortable here and really appreciate how the club, the city and the fans have welcomed me. The only thing on my mind is the game against Köln and staying out of the relegation zone,” said Amiri, who joined Mainz from Bayer Leverkusen in January.