Mentality the key in the fight for survival

With the Bundesliga season run-in fast approaching, 1. FSV Mainz 05 are heading into another relegation six-pointer this weekend. More than 30,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's clash with SV Darmstadt 98 (15:30 CEST), with three important points on the line. "I see a team whose form and performances are improving each and every week," head coach Bo Henriksen said during the pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. "We're looking forward to the game and to playing in front of our fans, who have been incredible over the last weeks." 

The Zerofivers have taken seven points from three home games since Henriksen's arrival in early February, and are now looking to further improve their record at home. Darmstadt, who currently sit bottom of the table, are in just as desperate need for points as the Zerofivers. As such, the 49-year-old is expecting an intense 90 minutes against "an opponent that is fighting for survival, just like us." First and foremost for Henriksen's team, it will be about meeting their own expectations. "We need the same fighting spirit that we saw against Bochum and in Leipzig, which is what we need in order to compete. We need to continue to defend well – after all, we've managed three clean sheets in our last six matches. That significantly increases our chances of winning games," the head coach said. "We also want to attack at home and come out on top of what is a relegation six-pointer for us." 

Hanche-Olsen with 05ER.tv

Being prepared to give it everything against Darmstadt  

The Dane has overseen a real turnaround since arriving in Mainz in early February, not only in terms of the results (eight points from six games), but also in terms of the mood within the team. The players not only trust in each other and in their strengths, but are also tackling every challenge with courage and as a tight-knit unit. Part of this process has also included accepting that mistakes are bound to happen, in order to continue developing. "The more mistakes you make, the better you get. It's all about how you react to them. You need to be brave in order to achieve something," said Henriksen. With seven matches left to play, Henriksen is hoping to give his team the right mentality to tackle the challenges awaiting them. According to the head coach, having the right mentality will be just as, if not more, important than the tactical elements in this timeframe. When previewing Saturday's match against Darmstadt, Henriksen said that success will be determined by "who wants it more and who is ready to run harder and give everything for each other. I have full confidence in my team." After all, these qualities are necessary in order to be successful in every game, as "it's possible to lose against any opponent in this league, if we fail to deliver the key things that we need as Mainz 05." 

The coach will have another tough decision to make when selecting his starting line-up this weekend, and will most likely have to leave three first-team players out of the squad entirely. There are "worse problems to have," according to Henriksen, who added that he always has a chance to impact a game with the options available to him from off the bench, as seen recently with the introduction of Silvan Widmer, Jae-sung Lee and Brajan Gruda against Leipzig. With his options increasing with every week that passes, Henriksen made clear that "We will need each and every player over the coming weeks" in order to achieve the aim of staying up. The team are "taking it one game at a time," with every match its own "final" in a way, as the head coach kept reiterating. He added, "At the end of May, we want to still be a Bundesliga club – in the best-case scenario, without having to take part in the two-legged relegation play-off. But, if we do have to take part in the play-off, then we will be ready for that."