Svensson looking for the “right balance”

Mainz will be looking to make it three wins from three in the Bundesliga as they face Borussia Mönchengladbach at the MEWA ARENA on Friday evening (20:30 CET). Bo Svensson is expecting a tough test against a “quality” Gladbach side. The gaffer faced the media on Thursday to discuss the celebrations on Rose Monday, the training week, the competition between the sticks and his side’s chances against Borussia.

A normal training week despite Carnival

The players started their week in familiar fashion with a regeneration session, after which they joined in with the Carnival celebrations in Mainz. They then had a day off on Tuesday before returning to the training ground on Wednesday. The final session ahead of the clash with Gladbach took place on Thursday afternoon.

Although Bo Svensson named the same starting XI for the wins against Augsburg and Leverkusen, the Dane made it clear on Thursday afternoon that a place in the line-up isn’t guaranteed: “We’re fully aware of the fact that we have more than eleven good players,” he said.

Burkardt and Mustapha still out

The head coach will have almost a full squad to choose from on Friday evening. Only Jonny Burkardt, who continues to work on his comeback, and Marlon Mustapha, who is suffering from an illness, will be unavailable. Karim Onisiwo, who “picked up a couple of knocks” against Leverkusen will be available against Borussia despite missing Wednesday’s training.

Bo Svensson remained coy when asked who would start in goal against Daniel Farke’s Foals: “Regarding who will play in goal, I’ll speak with Finn and Robin individually. Both are top keepers. I have the utmost faith in both of them.”

Focussing on the content

Svensson was asked if the spirit within the camp is particularly strong after the victories over Augsburg and Leverkusen and the boss replied matter-of-factly: “If you win two games on the spin, then of course the mood is better.” He also explained that his side aren’t forgetting the position they found themselves in ahead of the game against FCA a fortnight ago and that it’s his “job as the head coach to analyse things in terms of content.”

Although it was important for Mainz to pick up the two wins over FCA and B04, the boss also praised his side for how well they picked up their performance levels: “The team have become more stable and have played more consistently. That was the case in both games and actually even in the ones before that. We hope to see more of that tomorrow,” said the Dane.

If you win two games on the spin, then of course the mood is better

The Zerofivers can draw confidence from the aforementioned stability shown in their recent matches. The team had proven themselves capable of delivering solid performances in the first half of the season already, but they were too inconsistent. “It’s important that we don’t get too comfortable now and assume that things will continue on in this manner,” Svensson said. FSV expended a lot of energy in order to get the result against Leverkusen over the line and to take all three points. They will now need to do the same against Gladbach.

History of close games against the Foals

Borussia proved they are a team to be reckoned with after beating reigning champions FC Bayern last time out. Since Svensson took charge of the Zerofivers, their meetings with Gladbach have all been close games, while the situation in the table also points towards it being a meeting of two evenly-matched teams. Eighth-place Borussia are level on points but remain one spot above Mainz in the table due to their superior goal difference (+3 to FSV’s -1). According to Svensson, Gladbach have “a lot” of individual quality in their ranks with players such as Jonas Hofmann, Ramy Bensebaini, Marcus Thuram, Alassane Plea, Manu Koné and Lars Stindl. “They are of a high calibre. That’s why calling it an evenly-matched game can be a matter of opinion. The fact is that both sides have been on a similar level so far this campaign and that we have a home game coming up,” Svensson said. While it wouldn’t be possible to rule out it being a close game this weekend, Gladbach’s individual quality could definitely be the difference.

Svensson was non-committal when asked whether it plays into FSV’s hands that Gladbach must travel to Mainz to follow up on last weekend’s victory against Bayern. The former Foal, who featured 32 times for tomorrow’s opponents, is instead choosing to focus on his side’s current form and the home field advantage they will enjoy. “It’s a positive for us that we’re at home and that we have been so consistent lately. That’s what we were lacking in the first half of the season and is an area in which we wanted to improve in,” Svensson commented on the growth he’s seen within his team.

Build on the performance from Leverkusen

But nevertheless, “stopping the Gladbach attack is very difficult,” said the 43-year-old, remembering the game earlier in the season, where the Zerofivers were in control of the game for large stretches and managed to win 1-0 at Borussia-Park despite chances again and again for the home side. “Gladbach play good football. If you allow them to play then it gets difficult,” continued Svensson, before suggesting that it’s not possible to disable the attacking threat of Farke’s team for the entirety of 90 minutes. “It will depend on how we are defended in dangerous moments.”

Svensson suggested that it is crucial to be aware of the opponents’ high quality and the complexity of the task at hand and to try to find, as they did recently in Leverkusen, “the best mix”, both in and out of possession as well as in transition. Svensson highlighted the success of the team in these areas last Sunday and stated that they would need to keep this up on Friday evening. “We are very happy to take this task on. A game under the lights like this is obviously a highlight, but for us it is about improving on how we played and doing what’s needed on the pitch to play our way,” said Svensson, underlining the focus needed on style of play.