Pre-season shifting up a gear on Thursday

Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” rang out from the speakers outside the Hohe Salve Sportresort on Wednesday afternoon – and the boys in red and white are also quite literally back in Hopfgarten-Markt. Just after 14:00 CEST, the Mainz squad pulled up at their base for the coming days. For the second summer running, FSV are preparing for the new season in Tyrol in partnership with MEWA.

The 30-man squad, along with the coaches and backroom staff, travelled from Frankfurt to Munich by plane before continuing by coach into the Brixental valley. Upon arrival, they were warmly welcomed by hotel staff – and even a few fans who had already gathered.

Short session and a win for the “oldies”

After lunch, the players headed out for their first training session. At the Sportzentrum Wörgl, around 15 minutes’ drive from Hopfgarten, Bo Henriksen put his squad through a light programme lasting just over an hour. The aim: to shake off the effects of travel and get moving again. The ball came out for a classic 5-v-2 drill, followed by a small-sided one-touch competition between the younger players and the “oldies”, with the more experienced pros coming out on top. Fun was the main priority after a long day of travel, as Henriksen emphasised afterwards: “That’s important – and also nice to see,” said the head coach, who was in upbeat mood. Andreas Hanche-Olsen completed a reduced workload, while Niki Veratschnig trained individually.

But as Henriksen made clear, “the real work starts tomorrow.” Thursday will see a step up in intensity, with two sessions scheduled. The focus will be on attacking patterns and tactical processes in possession – particularly with Friday’s friendly at the Kaiserwinkl Arena in Kössen in mind (15:30 CEST). FSV face Austrian third-tier side SV Seekirchen, with the squad expected to implement their tactical work in match conditions.

Sharpening routines and processes

Asked about his goals for the week in Austria, Henriksen made it clear that the time together is primarily about reinforcing habits and sharpening patterns of play. “We have a good plan and we know what we want – but there are three or four areas where we need more repetition,” said the Dane. That includes attacking combinations in the half-spaces, which the team will look to refine in the game against “a smaller opponent” like Seekirchen.

Later in the camp, focus will shift to work out of possession ahead of the next test on Tuesday against Premier League side Crystal Palace at the Hans-Ludwig-Stadion near Salzburg (14:00 CEST). “In that one, we’ll be looking at build-up play, counter-pressing, and defending the box,” Henriksen explained. “It’s important for us to understand that we’re a good team when we do the things we’re supposed to – but there’s still room to improve, both with and without the ball. We also need a Plan B. Last season we struggled against lesser teams when they just went long – that’s something we need to work on here in Tyrol.”

The next training session is scheduled for 10:45 CEST on Thursday at the Sportzentrum Wörgl.