Henriksen speaks on task ahead, reunion with Thorup, and his favorite Bundesliga player
Newly installed FSV Mainz 05 trainer Bo Henriksen spoke on the challenges of his new appointment at an introductory presser yesterday. The latest Danish trainer to work the sidelines in the German top flight prepares to face compatriot Jess Thorup in his first Bundesliga match this coming Saturday.
Germany's preeminent footballing publication - Kicker Magazine - supplied some extra coverage on the 49-year-old by revisiting an old interview with the trade publication from November of 2023. The interview, just like yesterday's presser, was conducted partially in English and partially in German.
Relegation-threatened FSV Mainz 05 hope to replicate their "great escape" from three years ago with what amounts to a familiar pattern. A Danish head-coach once again takes the reins of the Rheinhessen. Once again, Mainz have installed a Dane named "Bo". Yet again, the new gaffer has drawn parallels to previous Mainz success stories Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp.
Germany's preeminent footballing publication - Kicker Magazine - supplied some extra coverage on the 49-year-old by revisiting an old interview with the trade publication from November of 2023. The interview, just like yesterday's presser, was conducted partially in English and partially in German.
Bo Henriksen answered questions about all three of his predecessors at his introductory press conference yesterday. Over the course of 45 minutes, the 49-year-old fielded plenty of questions from a very curious set of German media representatives. Germany's Kicker Magazine supplied additional content on the newly installed FSV trainer via a revisitation of an old interview conducted this past November.
"Of course, it's difficult to get one of the coveted jobs there [in Germany]," Henriksen said some three months ago, "but it's a dream of mine to work in one of the top five leagues. Further down the line, I would definitely like to become the Danish national team coach. You have to think big and dream big."
"A job in the Bundesliga is a great opportunity for me," Henriksen added yesterday before launching into talk about how he planned to help the team avoid relegation, "We must be fearless. It's all in the head. A mostly unchanged team showed what it was capable of last season."
Henriksen expressed eagerness to get started with players who "are courageous and want the ball". The new trainer gets set to square off against fellow Dane Jess Thorup, a countryman whom has helped turn Augsburg's campaign around since taking over earlier this year. Henriksen noted that he and Thorup had "played against one another in our younger days".
Time shall tell if Henriksen can make the most of his opportunity in the Bundesrepublik. His predecessor Bo Svensson's hitherto successful tenure with the Nullfünfter came to a most unexpected halt earlier this year. Henriksen's German predecessors at FC Zürich - André Breitenreiter and Franco Foda - have reached "persona-non-grata status" in Germany following their own German football failures.
Henriksen nevertheless seems to grasp the importance of the task. In his November interview, the former Football Club Midtjylland trainer noted that growing up watching German television helped him pick up some knowledge of the language. Following one of his favorite players at Bayern sparked his interest in the Bundesliga.
"I was able to grow up with German television there [in Denmark]," Henriksen remarked in November, "I watched the Bundesliga with my dad whenever I could. Søren Lerby was my hero, I followed his path at Bayern especially when I was a kid."