“It’s all about the club”

SC Freiburg and Mainz 05 will bring matchday 12 of the Bundesliga to a close on Sunday evening (19:30 CET). The 05ers haven’t celebrated a win in Freiburg for over five years – their last came in autumn 2020 at the old Schwarzwald-Stadion, when Jean-Philippe Mateta hit a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory. The two most recent meetings at the Europa-Park-Stadion both ended in draws (1-1 and 0-0). Time, then, for a first Mainz win at Freiburg’s new home, with Bo Henriksen’s side targeting their second league victory of the season to lift themselves away from the relegation zone. “Sunday’s match is a good opportunity to show a different side to ourselves,” said the head coach ahead of the trip to the Breisgau region. Around 1,400 Mainz fans will make the journey.

BO HENRIKSEN ON...

…the mood on the way back from Craiova: “Everyone was disappointed because the performance wasn’t good enough. We expect more from ourselves.”

…Robin Zentner’s injury: “It didn’t look good. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow and we’ll know more afterwards. Playing on Sunday looks unlikely.”

…two suspended key players: “We’ll have to replace Nadiem and Dominik, that’s clear. But we’ve got a strong squad, and we can’t play with the same side every time. The most important thing for us remains the Bundesliga – it’s the priority. We’ll send out a team that’s 100% fresh.”

…his expectations for the team: “Everyone needs to give their best every single day. We have to improve in the final third – that applies to the whole team. We need the courage to play forward, and we didn’t show that in Craiova, where we played with too much fear. We covered enough ground again, but people now think we’re at rock bottom. That’s why Sunday is a good opportunity to show a different side to ourselves.”

…the fans’ reaction: “The fans are disappointed, just like us. The mood isn’t great, and that’s understandable. We travelled a long way and didn’t get a good result – it simply wasn’t good enough. What matters now is that we stick together. We need our fans, who’ve supported us incredibly over the past 20 months.” 

…his role as head coach in difficult times: “Everyone has their opinion – that’s fine and part of football. When results don’t come, fans talk and journalists write. But it’s not about me. It’s all about the club. My job is to give my best every week, that’s the only way we can succeed.”

…SC Freiburg: “Everything is calm at Freiburg. They have a clear and familiar plan in every match. They’re clever both with and without the ball, with a good coach and good ideas. But we have a plan too, and we want to execute it. I believe in us – we need to build on our second-half performance against Hoffenheim.”