Keyhanfar: Hunger and willingness needed against Hoffenheim

There was a somewhat unusual picture at the press conference on Thursday ahead of the home match against TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CET), as Mainz assistant coach Babak Keyhanfar took his seat at the podium in place of the head coach Bo Svensson, who was ill. “Bo has been absent for a few days, but we are confident that he will be back by the weekend and we expect him to be at the match on Saturday,” reported the 37-year-old on his colleague’s current health. In terms of the match, the Zerofivers can expect an opposition “with a lot of footballing quality, individual class and creativity.” Therefore, Mainz will need every bit of quality and mental strength against the team currently in 16th place in order to secure their fourth victory in a row.

Keyhanfar takes over training, Svensson expected to return soon

The signs are good, according to Keyhanfar. The team gives the impression of wanting more success and to approach the coming match in the same way as the last. They continue to show a great desire to win in the competitive matches in training, and no one gives the impression of “wanting to lie down.” Now it is a matter of showing this in training on Thursday and in the final session on Friday to be ready for Saturday.

“Of course, I still have to coach more actively and be responsible for the training sessions,” Keyhanfar explained, which has changed due to Svensson’s absence in the past few days. The Dane had already informed his assistant coach on Monday that he might be out for a few days. They directly discussed the week of training and have spoken on the phone twice a day since then. “But it wasn’t like he called ten times a day and wanted to hear every single detail,” said Keyhanfar, grinning.

Of course, I still have to coach more actively and be responsible for the training sessions.

Svensson’s absence has been accounted for by the coaching team in the sessions of the training week, he reported. “We have a wide-ranging team with many competent people in every area, so we put our heads together and prepared for the training sessions and the upcoming opponent,” said the assistant coach. The team has not yet thought about how the home match against Hoffenheim might go without Svensson, as the Dane is expected to return at the weekend.

Recently, the Zerofivers have celebrated three wins in a row at home with the fans, and are looking to make this four against Hoffenheim.

Humility required against emerging Hoffenheim side

Keyhanfar would rather focus on the team’s preparation. They want to be ready to go into the game with the necessary “hunger and willingness” and to bring “power” onto the pitch in their home ground, together with the fans. “However, we also know that this involves a lot of work and that the task is not easy,” explained Keyhanfar further. Accordingly, before every Bundesliga match, it is important to have a bit of humility.

The boys don’t give the impression that they are taking anything lightly.

According to the coach, a Mainz native, there is no danger of underestimating the opponent. “The boys don’t give the impression that they are taking anything lightly,” he reported, referring to the attitude at training and also Hoffenheim’s recent Bundesliga match, a narrow 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund. “Everyone who saw the game knows how much individual class and quality there is in this team.”

TSG since the change of coach: higher intensity but similar style of play

According to Keyhanfar, no one would have expected Hoffenheim to be in the relegation zone after 22 games. With the change in head coach at the beginning of February, as Pellegrino Matarazzo took over from André Breitenreiter, TSG’s game has become even more intense, but their style has hardly changed. Even though Hoffenheim have yet to pick up a point since the American took over, the Mainz coaching team sees a clear improvement in their next opponent in recent games. “We know exactly what quality is coming and how difficult the task will be on Saturday.”

The focus in preparation for the match, however, is primarily on the team’s own game, and on bringing their own strengths onto the pitch, as they have done recently. They want to approach the match with their own football and with “power and hunger to win”. The Zerofivers have done this very well in recent weeks, and the run of three Bundesliga victories in a row speaks for itself. “We are following a plan that we are convinced of as a team. It’s working well at the moment and we have to carry on working on it so that it continues to do so,” said Keyhanfar, knowing that the recent successes should not be taken for granted.

Consistency the key

One reason for the Zerofivers’ form in 2023 is definitely the newfound consistency that is being talked about. “We summarised the first half of the season during the winter break and talked a lot together with the team on how we wanted to improve,” said the assistant coach, describing the process of development. “The team then put this into practice. They are more organised within the group, more involved in the overall game and have found away to perform week after week.” It is now important for them to maintain this standard.

The assistant coach gives the defensive line-up as a clear example of the greater stability since the winter break. “We have now managed to consistently play with the same backline over several games.” In the past five Bundesliga games, from which Mainz have picked up twelve points, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Stefan Bell and Edimilson Fernandes have made up the back three. Keyhanfar explained that this familiarity makes them more solid.

An unchanged squad and Barreiro approaching a milestone

It is quite possible that Mainz’s back three will remain unchanged for the home match against Hoffenheim, and the squad remains unchanged to that of previous weeks. It is also very likely that the home-grown player Leandro Barreiro, who Keyhanfar described as being in “outstanding form”, will make his 100th Bundesliga appearance for the Zerofivers on Saturday.

Keyhanfar and Svensson have already worked with the Luxembourg international in the Mainz youth academy. Since their period in charge, the central midfielder has proven his importance in the FSV first team on and off the pitch, according to the assistant coach. “He is simply an asset for the team and the whole club. It’s nice for everyone when someone from our own youth system makes the breakthrough such that he becomes an important player in the first team,” said Keyhanfar, pleased about having Barreiro in the squad.

He is simply an asset for the team and the entire club.

Together, they will try to continue this successful period, ideally with three points against TSG in the player’s milestone game.

There was a somewhat unusual picture at the press conference on Thursday ahead of the home match against TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CET), as Mainz assistant coach Babak Keyhanfar took his seat at the podium in place of the head coach Bo Svensson, who was ill. “Bo has been absent for a few days, but we are confident that he will be back by the weekend and we expect him to be at the match on Saturday,” reported the 37-year-old on his colleague’s current health. In terms of the match, the Zerofivers can expect an opposition “with a lot of footballing quality, individual class and creativity.” Therefore, Mainz will need every bit of quality and mental strength against the team currently in 16th place in order to secure their fourth victory in a row.

Keyhanfar takes over training, Svensson expected to return soon

The signs are good, according to Keyhanfar. The team gives the impression of wanting more success and to approach the coming match in the same way as the last. They continue to show a great desire to win in the competitive matches in training, and no one gives the impression of “wanting to lie down.” Now it is a matter of showing this in training on Thursday and in the final session on Friday to be ready for Saturday.

“Of course, I still have to coach more actively and be responsible for the training sessions,” Keyhanfar explained, which has changed due to Svensson’s absence in the past few days. The Dane had already informed his assistant coach on Monday that he might be out for a few days. They directly discussed the week of training and have spoken on the phone twice a day since then. “But it wasn’t like he called ten times a day and wanted to hear every single detail,” said Keyhanfar, grinning.

Of course, I still have to coach more actively and be responsible for the training sessions.

Svensson’s absence has been accounted for by the coaching team in the sessions of the training week, he reported. “We have a wide-ranging team with many competent people in every area, so we put our heads together and prepared for the training sessions and the upcoming opponent,” said the assistant coach. The team has not yet thought about how the home match against Hoffenheim might go without Svensson, as the Dane is expected to return at the weekend.

Humility required against emerging Hoffenheim side

Keyhanfar would rather focus on the team’s preparation. They want to be ready to go into the game with the necessary “hunger and willingness” and to bring “power” onto the pitch in their home ground, together with the fans. “However, we also know that this involves a lot of work and that the task is not easy,” explained Keyhanfar further. Accordingly, before every Bundesliga match, it is important to have a bit of humility.

The boys don’t give the impression that they are taking anything lightly.

According to the coach, a Mainz native, there is no danger of underestimating the opponent. “The boys don’t give the impression that they are taking anything lightly,” he reported, referring to the attitude at training and also Hoffenheim’s recent Bundesliga match, a narrow 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund. “Everyone who saw the game knows how much individual class and quality there is in this team.”

TSG since the change of coach: higher intensity but similar style of play

According to Keyhanfar, no one would have expected Hoffenheim to be in the relegation zone after 22 games. With the change in head coach at the beginning of February, as Pellegrino Matarazzo took over from André Breitenreiter, TSG’s game has become even more intense, but their style has hardly changed. Even though Hoffenheim have yet to pick up a point since the American took over, the Mainz coaching team sees a clear improvement in their next opponent in recent games. “We know exactly what quality is coming and how difficult the task will be on Saturday.”

The focus in preparation for the match, however, is primarily on the team’s own game, and on bringing their own strengths onto the pitch, as they have done recently. They want to approach the match with their own football and with “power and hunger to win”. The Zerofivers have done this very well in recent weeks, and the run of three Bundesliga victories in a row speaks for itself. “We are following a plan that we are convinced of as a team. It’s working well at the moment and we have to carry on working on it so that it continues to do so,” said Keyhanfar, knowing that the recent successes should not be taken for granted.

Consistency the key

One reason for the Zerofivers’ form in 2023 is definitely the newfound consistency that is being talked about. “We summarised the first half of the season during the winter break and talked a lot together with the team on how we wanted to improve,” said the assistant coach, describing the process of development. “The team then put this into practice. They are more organised within the group, more involved in the overall game and have found away to perform week after week.” It is now important for them to maintain this standard.

The assistant coach gives the defensive line-up as a clear example of the greater stability since the winter break. “We have now managed to consistently play with the same backline over several games.” In the past five Bundesliga games, from which Mainz have picked up twelve points, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Stefan Bell and Edimilson Fernandes have made up the back three. Keyhanfar explained that this familiarity makes them more solid.

An unchanged squad and Barreiro approaching a milestone

It is quite possible that Mainz’s back three will remain unchanged for the home match against Hoffenheim, and the squad remains unchanged to that of previous weeks. It is also very likely that the home-grown player Leandro Barreiro, who Keyhanfar described as being in “outstanding form”, will make his 100th Bundesliga appearance for the Zerofivers on Saturday.

Keyhanfar and Svensson have already worked with the Luxembourg international in the Mainz youth academy. Since their period in charge, the central midfielder has proven his importance in the FSV first team on and off the pitch, according to the assistant coach. “He is simply an asset for the team and the whole club. It’s nice for everyone when someone from our own youth system makes the breakthrough such that he becomes an important player in the first team,” said Keyhanfar, pleased about having Barreiro in the squad.