Jurgen Klopp, the famous coach who came out of Mainz, has been full of praise for the current head coach of the old club, Bo Svensson, and believes that the latter's current performance is "very good". In this interview, Bo-Svensson talks about his coaching philosophy, the team's goals for the season, and how Klopp and Tuchel have influenced their coaching careers.
Bundesliga official website: As the head coach of Mainz, you have successfully proven yourself in this position to the outside world. Averaging 1.5 points per game, this has set a new record for a Mainz manager in the Bundesliga. It is also worth mentioning that under your leadership, Mainz conceded only 1.2 goals per game. Why did you do so well?
Svensson: I think these are two things that need to be looked at separately: the fact that we conceded fewer goals, of course, is because as a coach, I attach a lot of importance to possession and defense. These are the parts of our daily training and we strive to make this one of the team's most prominent strengths. It's good to concede fewer goals per game, but I have to mention that we've conceded too many goals before the last two rounds. Overall, our defense wasn't as good as the data reflected.
As for points per game, my team still has a lot of games to play, so it's not appropriate to compare that to the results of Thomas Tuchel or Jurgen Klopp, who probably played 200 or 300 games with Mainz and I played about 40 games. So, that's how the smaller the denominator, the easier it is to get more points. Let's talk about points average after I've played 150 games in Mainz!
Bundesliga official website: Last season you created one of the greatest miracles in Bundesliga history, and no team has ever been able to successfully relegate without accumulating only 7 points before the winter break. Is it possible to say that Bo-Svensson is unique?
Svenson: Of course, this is an amazing achievement. Not many people thought we could do it before successful relegation, but we saw and experienced what might happen when a group of people who were fighting for a common goal came together – and they were able to overcome all the negativity and disadvantages. At the end of the day, the team was able to achieve our goals because of the strength of the team.
Bundesliga official website: You also made history in another way. In round 20 against Fürth, you became the first Bundesliga coach to be suspended for accumulating a yellow card. Amazingly, though, when you were a Bundesliga player, 5 of the 7 seasons were not suspended for accumulating yellow cards. It can be said that under normal circumstances, you are a calm and rational person, but why are you so active in the coaching bench?
Swenson: I think it's because I have a lot of face, like most people. I was eager to win the game, and I had high demands on the reasonableness of the referee's decision. But I also have a grumpy side, which has prevented me from expressing my dissatisfaction very rationally this season. 4 yellow cards in 19 games, which is a bit of a lot for the coach, it's not something I'm proud of, but I'm not ashamed of it, it's just that. I have to think about making a change, and at the same time, I have to be true to myself, to understand what makes me who I am now, and these characteristics are part of me. I will try to make changes, but I will certainly not abandon my original self.
Bundesliga official website: Looking at the standings, Mainz still has a chance to get better results. So what are your goals this season?
Svenson: My goal this season is the same as ever. I mean, after 4 or 5 rounds, when we get 10 points, people just talk about: are they going to play in the Europa League next year or the Champions League? When we lost three games, people were talking about whether we should focus on relegation. I understand that this is the inertia of the public and the media, but in my opinion there is no point in discussing the season goals.
For me, trying to make my team better is the most important thing. In order to play better, we can try to play like Mainz – we have to find a way to play out the expectations of Mainz, and the expectations of the players and coaches, and that's what I'm focused on.
Of course, we are eager to win the game and want to be as high as possible in the standings. But in the end, in the Bundesliga, there are many excellent teams in the league, so it is very important for the team to focus on its own strengths and try to improve while clarifying its position. If we can maintain this form and develop well, then we are confident that it will cause trouble for every team against the Bundesliga, which means that Mainz will be more likely to be at the top of the table and win more games.
Bundesliga official website: On 27 February, Liverpool and Chelsea – and Klopp and Tuchel will face off in the English League Cup final, you have played under both coaches, who will you support then?
Svensson: Before that I had prayed that both teams would reach the final, I would watch the game with a smile on my face because I saw how successful they were. Both teams have played really well and from a fan's point of view, there will be great fun to watch. Watching two teams that are never boring play is one of the most important elements of football. I think it's going to be a great game, but I don't support any of them.
Bundesliga official website: How much influence have Klopp and Tuchel had on your coaching career?
Swenson: I mean, the two of them have a different impact on me. I didn't play long in Mainz during the Klopp era as a player, when I spent most of my time injured and only worked together for a year. Klopp brought me to Mainz, where we had many in-depth conversations, which gave me an idea of what a great person Klopp was.
It was different in Thomas's time, I played under him for five years, most of the time I played soccer games and participated in the team's daily training. Of course, I learned more from Thomas because I had so much more experience with him than with Klopp. I've said many times that I wouldn't have gone down the coaching path without Thomas as my coach; I wouldn't have gone to Mainz without Klopp. As a result, these two people are closely related to my career here and to my life now.
Bundesliga official website: You have made remarkable performances in the position of main manager, and many experts are optimistic that you can repeat the careers of Klopp and Tuchel. What do you think of this kind of statement?
Swensson: I really appreciate these ideas, and it's definitely a good thing that some people think highly of me. But this is not something I should think about at the moment, it is still too far away for me. I mean, they're the managers of two of the biggest football clubs in the world and one of the best coaches in the world, and their careers are so far removed from my daily routine that I don't fantasize like when I first started coaching: I'm going to be on a par with Klopp or Thomas!
I'm working as a coach now because I love it, some of my traits are very good for coaching, and I advocate teamwork. The reason I'm coaching here is because I don't want to go to the office every day and say: This is a step on the road to here or there – no, I'm enjoying it now, I know why I'm here, that's the most important thing for me. This comparison (compared to the two predecessors) is a bit far-fetched and doesn't mean much to me personally.
Bundesliga official website: How to evaluate the history of mainz in training successful coaches?
Svensson: Maybe you asked the wrong person! It would be more appropriate for Christian Haider to answer this question, as he has been through these successful coaches and has done a lot of work and decisions for them. I think Christian has played a very important role in developing successful coaches because he has a certain talent in finding good coaches and has assigned these coaches corresponding responsibilities. At the same time, he will not interfere with the coach's own work, do not cross the line, and give the coach a lot of support.
It's a very important thing for me that Christian has always supported me, even if we lose the game, the team is not going well, I have made the wrong decisions, etc., I can always feel the support of the club, especially from him.
The core of mainz's ability to have so many successful coaches is that he allows coaches to play their talents as they please, to work as much as they can in sufficient space, and to allow coaches to have room for fault. Just like his attitude towards Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Martin Schmidt, Sandro Schwartz and me when they made mistakes. I think it's normal to make mistakes early in your career, and it's crucial to improve on those mistakes and get better. Mainz is a platform where coaches are sometimes free to make some not-so-fatal mistakes, but there is also the possibility of being fired.
Bundesliga officialdom: What was your greatest moment as a Bundesliga player?
Svensson: I mean, when asked this kind of question, you don't have to think too much about it, because it's supposed to be the first time you've been thinking about these moments. My first game in Germany was against Schalke and Eber Sander. He is a great Danish striker who played for Schalke and an international. Sander is such a great player! I came to Germany and played him in just two days and it was a great experience for me. Of course, when we were promoted from bundesliga to Bundesliga at Bruchweg Stadium, it was also a very special feeling.
In the away win over Bayern, I also scored a legendary oolong ball, during which we won seven consecutive rounds, that is, in those seven games to win Bayern. These are the special moments I can think of as Bundesliga players.
Bundesliga official website: When you were wearing a mainz shirt, you only scored one goal, remember?
Svenssen: I scored three goals in the Bundesliga, but I only scored one in Mainz and of course remember that goal. It was a memorable and bloody goal, and I shot at the tibia 30 centimeters away from the free throw line and shot into the back post of the net. A goal is a goal and it's great that we have at least one goal to allow the team to win the game 1-0.
Bundesliga official website: So what was your greatest moment as Bundesliga manager?
Svensson: It's hard to say that it's a great moment, it's supposed to be the most special moment, in the first round of the season against Leipzig, this game will be with me for the next few years. Before the game began, the team had no half of the players, only two days of normal training, against a very good Leipzig team.
It was our first match since we ended the empty-court policy, with 10,000 spectators on the pitch and a stunning home atmosphere. My two assistant coaches weren't there and everything was chaotic, but we were still able to concentrate on the game and in the end we overcame everything, so that day was very special for me.
Bundesliga official website: Apart from football, what is your best experience in life?
Svenson: My life? Then I'm bound to be a boring person, and here I'm talking about being a father of three children, how I met my wife, etc., these moments have defined my life and what I am now. Obviously, everyone will know that children will change everything in your life, and it will not be easy. When you become a parent, you change forever, and that's what happened to me.
Bundesliga official website: If professional football is not for you, what will you do?
Swenson: Isn't that a big question? In fact, until the end of my career, I thought I wasn't going to continue working in football, and I was a little tired of football as a whole. I feel like I should do something else, and if you have another skill, you should try something else in life. But I don't really know what I want to do, I just know that I like to work with people.
I've said in other interviews that I imagine myself as a teacher in a certain field because I think it's fun to work with young people — try to guide young people's lives and teach yourself the knowledge and experience you have. I don't know if I'm going to end up being a teacher, but when I think about what would have happened if I hadn't sat in the coaching chair on the sidelines, I thought I'd be a teacher.
Bundesliga official website: So what do you think of American football?
Svensson: The most important thing about talking about this is that I'm an NFL fan and have a team that I like the most in the NFL. I don't have a favorite team in football or any other sport, but I have to say that the San Francisco 49ers are my home team. I started as a little boy, visited my family in San Francisco when I was 10 or 11 years old, and became a 49ers fan ever since, following the team ever since.
It's been my luck to be a fan of them, the 49ers have been doing a great job. The sport is quite different from football, where there are often five seconds of extremely intense scenes, followed by usually a four-minute advertising break. I can understand why some people are annoyed by this, but there are a lot of details in this sport, and when you take a moment to understand how those details unfold, you can appreciate the very interesting points.
You can also see the craziest athletes in the world, so fast, so powerful – from every angle of view, the athletes are so spectacular, so spectacular, it's an amazing sport.
Bundesliga official website: Do you have a special relationship with Danish player Marcus Ingervasen?
Svenson: Of course! Because we're all from the same country and can converse in our native language, it can change everything. Unfortunately, Marcus hasn't played at his best in the last few months, which makes me regret it. He'll bounce back and I'll help Marcus get back to his peak form. In fact we are fellow citizens, and if we don't have some kind of special relationship, that's weird.