Glorious weather & good news at Bruchweg

The 05ers began their preparations for the game away at 1. FC Heidenheim on Sunday evening (19:30 CEST) in bright sunshine and with almost everyone involved. Alongside the glorious weather at Bruchweg, there was good news for the squad during the first open training session of the week. Alongside Jessic Ngankam, who has recovered from his muscle injury, Stefan Bell was also out on the grass with his teammates for the first time this year and completed parts of team training after myocarditis had kept him out of action for several months. Following the training session, the head coach spoke to the media about his side’s situation in the run-in, the enforced changes to his starting eleven and the importance of the veteran Bell. 

Bo Henriksen on...

...Silvan Widmer as a possible replacement for the suspended Phillipp Mwene:

“He’s trained really well and has given his all on the pitch every time – he’s the captain of this team and a very good footballer in addition.”

...Marco Richter’s return to the squad:

“The same principle applies to everyone: Whoever trains best during the week makes the squad at the weekend and plays. That’s completely normal – we play with the best players because we want to win.”

...performances in training from the reserve players:

“Everyone wants to play and gives their all in training – that’s a good thing. We’ve played with almost the same starting eleven for a long time, and we now have to change it a little bit. It’s good for the mood of those who are now about to get their chance – that’s important too and we’re looking forward to seeing them play.”

...the mood following the Köln game:

“Of course I was disappointed after the game, but you can’t forget that we’ve only picked up a point less than Borussia Dortmund in the last ten games. The boys have thrown themselves into it during this period and just had a bad half at the weekend. However, that’s football – there are always ups and downs. We’re unbeaten in six games and we’re pleased with that. We want to be seven games unbeaten when we come back from Heidenheim, and we ideally want to return home with a win.”

...nervousness ahead of the last three games of the regular season:

“No. That’s football and I love it. We’ve been playing since we were four or five years old for such moments when something’s on the line and we can achieve something big.”

...more than a year without an away win: 

“Of course we want to end this run – that’s fun too. We’ve not won away from home all season – that now needs to change in the 16th game. Heidenheim are a good team and are strong at home, no doubt about it. However, we’re also capable of playing good football and want to do everything to secure a win.”

...reasons for the winless streak:

“We played really well last time out in Freiburg and that wasn’t the first time. Let’s not forget that we’ve played against Leipzig, Bayern, Leverkusen and Freiburg away from home – all top teams. Our opponents at home have been more evenly-matched in the shape of Bochum, Darmstadt and Köln, whilst there’s additionally the support of our fantastic fans.”

...the game without Nadiem Amiri:

“It’s not possible to find a like-for-like replacement for Nadiem – we’ve only got one player like him. However, we’ve got lots of other good players and consequently many good options. It’s not a problem for us.”

...Karim Onisiwo’s absence: 

“He can’t play football with his hand. He’s going to get a splint next week and then hopefully he’ll be able to return to training. However, we’re still waiting for the swelling on his fingers to go down.”

...Stefan Bell: 

“It’s great for Stefan Bell to complete parts of team training. He’s a fantastic guy, he’s a good presence in the changing room and above all it’s good for him after such a long spell out. He ran a bit last week and this was now his first session with the team in months – that’s important mentally. However, it’s important for the team too. Stefan has been a Mainz player for years and he’s a top bloke too.”