When Bo Henriksen joined Mainz last year, they were nine points out of safety, leaving 13 games left for the Bundesliga season. Not only did he maintain them, but now he’s chasing Champions League football in his first full season.
That’s an extraordinary story, but then Henriksen is an extraordinary man. 50-year-old Dane, along with former British football’s lower league strikers Kidderminster Harriers and Bristol Rovers, was called Crazy by one of his best players and genius by his boss.
What can’t be denied is that he does something special in Mainz. The club is well known for being coached by Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, but neither of them finished in the top four. Currently, two points for the team last season are to play in four games.
How did Henriksen do that?
“By taking away fear,” he says Sky Sports. “I had to take it off quickly and create a culture where people dare to be themselves and make mistakes.
“And that was so bad at the time, they’d listen to everyone, even Dane with long hair.”
perhaps. However, Henriksen backed up his words with his actions. In his second match in charge, Mainz had undefeated leader Bayer Leberkusen midway through the second half as goalkeeper Robin Zentner groped for a simple shot into the net.
“I’ve heard so many coaches talking about belief and trust, and then one second later someone made a mistake and they said they lost the game on TV.
Henriksen supported the goalkeeper. “I told him that he will be part of it next week. You can talk and talk, but if you don’t show your players that you believe in them, they’ll never believe you.” Over a year has passed, Zentner hasn’t missed the game yet.
Many people have improved. Jonathan Barker stands out. He had run one goal in 21 games in one stage before the appointment of Henriksen. Only three have scored Bundesliga goals this season. My playing style has changed.
“When we went in, they kicked it high and long,” says Henriksen. “We wanted to change that and play more in the half space. We actually created opportunities. We became one of the most intense teams in Bundesliga and were expensive.”
He speaks with pride in their tempo. “The strength is incredible.” And when they’re short on, as they’ve recently done at Borussia Dortmund, it bothers him. “We were 98% there. That’s not enough. I hate being average. I was an average player.”
Lessons from Kidderminster
For English viewers, one of the strangest aspects of Henriksen becoming one of the most exciting coaches in the Bundesliga is that this average player also happens to be the best scorer of all time in the Kidderminster football league.
It was a short stint for the club and players in the early 2000s, but Henriksen had an impact on Worcestershire, and the experience influenced him. “It was a great place and it was my childhood hero Yang Morby who took me there, so it was really fun.”
Henriksen already wanted to coach and wanted to learn more about the game of what he calls a football home. So, what did he discover? “A lot of drinking. Fighting with training. Something I’ve never seen in my life,” he replies with a laugh.
Henriksen plays for the Kidderminster Harriers his days
“It was a special culture because it was a last chance for these players. If they hadn’t got there, they had to go to the factory. In Denmark, that was a little different. You’d be a lawyer or something. In England, at least it felt different.
“I learned it in many ways, not just football. I learned about humans, how to be in groups, how to treat each other. It was all about respect.
He recalls certain opportunities he boxed in to win a penalty. The Harriers won the game, but it was his own Captain Shawn Flynn who stood up to him afterwards. “He was a great guy. He made me hostile to the cabin,” recalled Henriksen.
“He said, ‘What are you doing, guy? If you’re trying to cheat, I don’t want you to play with my team again.” It was miraculous for me. It was a wonderful feeling to hear that.
Mainz Head Coach Henriksen is considered an expert personnel guide
Create a new story in Mainz
Still, the hairstyle remains. “We can’t really change who we are,” and endure the lessons of the time in England. “For me, culture is everything, and I’m proud of the culture we created.” It’s still about forging bonds and building relationships.
“If your boss doesn’t like it, there’s no chance you’ll do your best for him. You’ll probably do it out of fear for six months. After that, your body doesn’t want it anymore. So I believe that success won’t last long unless you create a good culture.”
Journeyman players are not Journeyman coaches, so he should know. “I’ve been with one club for seven years and six for another. I know what it takes.” It describes building a club at his early age in Denmark. He went to Midtjylland in 2021 and won the Denmark Cup.
Interestingly, his next job, before saving Mainz, saw him turn things around in FC Zurich, the bottom of the Swiss Super League. “I’ve been a weaker for the past 20 years,” he insists. However, this achievement at Mainz is on another level.
why? He didn’t just save them, so he kicked. Henriksen talks about the difference between avoidance and achievement. After the escape act, Mainz moved his best player, Sepvan Denburg, to Brentford and Bra Jungluda, to Brighton.
“There was fear in the team again,” he admits. “They thought we had to rebuild everything again. That was probably my toughest job here in Mainz, and perhaps even a bigger miracle than saving them from relegation. We had to create a new story.”
It was a volatile start, but Mainz improved and scored 6 from 7 in the winter, including a victory over Bayern Munich. “We’re getting better and better,” they believed again. It’s no wonder that Mainz sports director Christian Heidel calls him a motivating genius.
Mainz Midfielder Nadiem Amiri is active for Germany in March
“If it doesn’t have that relationship, no one can help,” Henriksen says. “Life is about relationships.” The person with midfielder Nadiem Amiri called him “positively crazy” and won a recall by Germany five years later.
“I think I’m crazy because I dare to be myself. I don’t know why I’m dancing in the dressing room because I feel it.
“I know Nadim has never seen it in football before. He probably doesn’t think I’m a normal coach, but I think I’m just me, so I think I’m the most normal coach in the world. I’m not good at being someone else.
As Heidel pointed out, Henriksen has a pigeon drilled just Motivators, but obviously there are more for men. “Of course we’ve changed tactically.” However, Henriksen believes it is curious and surrounds itself with experts, like the Klopp before him.
“Today, we have so many assistants and analysts around us who help us with small details, tactics. And we were tactically fantastical. My staff is very good.
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So what is the motivation for motivating? “It’s a small thing. It’s the people. When I see Johnny smiling when he gets called to the national team or Amiri is called again, that’s enough for me. That’s where the energy comes from.
What’s coming next? That’s what makes it appealing. Henriksen talks about the possible visit to Kidderminster. “We have to return one day.” But before that, the big question is whether they can finish their work and qualify for Europe, perhaps even the Champions League itself.
“We haven’t won anything yet, but we had a great season.” If we complete the Bayern Munich double this weekend, it could be something completely different. “It would be very special for the entire region.” The area was transformed by Bo Henriksen.
