Bo Henriksen’s Marvellous Mainz 05 | FM24 Tactical Recreation (WINS THE LEAGUE)

Unlock Bo Henriksen’s winning Mainz 05 tactic in FM24—high press, clinical finishing, and insane results, including a Bundesliga title win!

Recreate Bo Henriksen’s shock tactical success at Mainz 05 and dominate FM24 just like in real life.

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When Mainz 05 relieved Jan Siewert of his duties in February 2024, Mainz sat dangerously close to the relegation zone in the Bundesliga, having not won in 5 league games, with the 3-1 defeat to VfB Stuttgart being the final straw. 

Two days later, Bo Henriksen was appointed, brought in from Zurich FC in Switzerland, and tasked with guiding the club safely away from the relegation zone – a task in which he was successful in doing, as Mainz finished the 23/24 season in 13th place, two points off the relegation play-off spot. 

Since then, Mainz have been majorly overperforming under the Dane and are on the hunt for a UEFA Champions League place, as they currently sit 3rd in the league with two months left of the season. 

In this article, I’ll be providing my brief analysis of the tactics used by Bo Henriksen at Mainz 05, before showcasing my recreation of his tactics on Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the shocking results said tactics achieved in testing. Firstly, let’s break down the core principles of their tactics.

Incredibly Well-Drilled High Press

Bo Henriksen is the latest of an almost never-ending list of tactically astute, progressive thinking Mainz managers over the years, following in the footsteps of the legendary Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, and this can be seen in his side’s meticulous, yet intense and effective, high press. 

When the opposition are building up play, especially from goal-kicks, Mainz will show immense bravery in their high-press by adopting a flexible man-marking system. Due to this, Mainz’s pressing shape can fluctuate depending on the opposition’s formation, and this is reflected by the number of formation-dependent versions of the tactics in the tactics file when downloading.

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Conspicuously Clinical Finishing

Under Bo Henriksen, Mainz 05 have turned into one of, if not, the most effective chance-creating sides in the Bundesliga and have shown efficiency in their finishing. In 23/24, Mainz needed an average of 12.5 shots to score a goal – they’ve slashed this figure to around 6.8 shots to score a goal, making them one of the league’s most clinical finishers; Bayern Munich, for reference, need an average of 6.5 shots to score a goal. 

The reason for this efficiency in front of goal is mainly down to their chance creation abilities, as they average around 0.8xG per shot in the Bundesliga this season. I managed to recreate this phenomenal chance creation and finishing ability in game, as shown in the pictures below:

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Fluid Rotations

Mainz 05, under Bo Henriksen, are one of the most progressive-thinking teams in Europe, and that is reflected by their fluid, positional rotations – these rotations strikingly resemble that of Thiago Motta’s Bologna from the 23/24 season and Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan, where the centre-backs and midfielders could rotate their positions to open gaps in the midfield. 

At Mainz, their two wider centre-backs can move into midfield areas at times whilst one of the midfield-two can drop deeper to maintain structural discipline. On the right-side, Danny da Costa is naturally a right-back, however, has since been used as a right-sided centre-back. From here, he can make overlapping/underlapping runs up the right flank and get into attacking areas.

Let’s Break Down the Tactic

In Possession

When Mainz have the ball, they will look to build up from the back from where their centre-backs, primarily their two wider centre-backs, can decide whether to go long or distribute shorter. Mainz, usually, opt for the former as they want to attack with pace and penetration. 

When in possession, Mainz have a pattern of play where their players will drift over to the right-side and will switch the play to the left-side. Finally, when Mainz reach the final third, they remain patient in their attempts to break down the opposition and try to get into cut-back situations to create high-xG chances.

In Transition

When Mainz lose the ball, they immediately counter-press to try and regain possession. If successful, they will initiate rapid counter-attacks from which they have been very successful this season. Finally, from goal-kicks, Mainz’s ‘keeper tends to distribute quickly to get Mainz on the front foot. He can decide for himself, given the game situation, whether to distribute short or long.

Out of Possession

When the opposition have goal-kicks, Mainz will press high in a man-to-man system – from here, Mainz will try and force the opposition ‘keeper to go long. Additionally, Mainz try and force the opposition into wide area where their wing-backs can engage in the high-press. To supplement said high-press, Mainz will hold a high defensive line. Finally, if Mainz’s high press is broken, the Mainz backline will drop off to close space in-behind.

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Opposition Instructions

To replicate Bo Henriksen’s intense pressing system in FM24, I’ve applied tailored Opposition Instructions. Key midfielders and attackers are tightly marked, while trigger press is heavily used on the flanks and central areas. This setup forces mistakes, limits time on the ball, and mirrors Mainz’s relentless off-the-ball aggression.

Player Roles

Sweeper Keeper – Support

When in possession, Zentner can join the build-up phase at times to create numerical advantages from deep. When Mainz don’t have possession, Zentner can leave his line to sweep through balls in-behind. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.

Wide Centre-Back – Attack

As aforementioned, Danny da Costa is naturally a full-back turned centre-back, however, he can still act like a full-back in possession by providing overlapping runs from deep. When he receives the ball, Da Costa will often launch long balls into the right channel where an overload can be created. Finally, when Da Costa reaches the final third, he rarely shoots and that is reflected in his Player Instructions:

Ball-Playing Defender – Defend

In this position, Bell’s role is a bit simpler as he mainly focuses on his defensive duties. When Mainz have possession, however, Bell can be adventurous with his ball-playing at times as he can often break the lines with penetrative passes. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.

Wide Centre-Back – Support

In this position, despite having the same role in-game, Kohr’s movements in possession are slightly different. Unlike Da Costa, Kohr moves slightly higher and into central areas in a way that resembles a ‘Libero’. 

Crucially, however, Kohr can move wider at times to offer himself as a wide passing option. Additionally, the Wide Centre-Back role, when paired with the Wing-Back role on the ‘Support’ duty on the same side, will make Libero-like movements in the match engine. As with Da Costa, if Kohr moves higher, he rarely shoots and that is reflected in his Player Instructions:

Wing-Back – Attack

Caci’s role in this system is quite tactically flexible as he can, especially from goal-kicks, move into a high and wide position acting like a right-winger in possession. From here, Caci can carry the ball towards the byline and cross the ball in. Finally, when Mainz don’t have the ball, Caci will press aggressively to close down the opposition. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:

Wing-Back – Support

Mwene’s role in this system is very similar to Caci’s, however, he is usually positioned slightly deeper in build-up and can come short to get the ball from the left centre-back. Like with Caci, Mwene will try and reach the byline regularly and put a cross into the box. 

Additionally, he will also hold a wider position to stretch the opposition. Finally, like Caci, Mwene will aggressively press and engage when out-of-possession. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instructions:

Segundo Volante – Support

Of the double-pivot, Sano is the more aggressive of the two and will often move higher to provide himself as a box-crashing option. In this position, Sano can begin play from a deeper position, before moving higher and into the half-space. This movement is reflected by his Player Instructions:

Deep-Lying Playmaker – Support

Nadiem Amiri is a player reborn under Bo Henriksen and is staking his claim for securing a spot in Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for the 2026 World Cup. In this system, his passing range and ball-carrying abilities are able to come to the fore as he’s encouraged to progress the ball in as many ways as possible. The ‘Deep-Lying Playmaker’ role is optimal in this regard. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:

Shadow Striker – Attack

In this position, Nebel is given the licence to make runs beyond Burkhardt and drift into positions to receive the ball. His movements on the right-side are crucial to create the aforementioned right-side overloads. Finally, if Nebel isn’t in a shooting position, he’ll often try and reach the byline to cut the ball back to create high-xG chances. Therefore, I felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:

Attacking Midfielder – Support

Lee Jae-Sung has a very fluid role in this system as he can roam and situationally drop deep and/or wider to receive the ball outside of the opposition’s defensive shape – this movement can draw out opposition defenders, in turn creating space for others to run into. As with Nebel, if Lee Jae-Sung isn’t in a shooting position, he’ll try and reach the byline to create high-xG chances from cut-backs, as reflected in his Player Instructions:

Pressing Forward – Support

Burkardt is a particular beneficiary of Bo Henriksen’s arrival at Mainz, as he has scored 15 Bundesliga goals this season, resulting in a few of Europe’s elite clubs reportedly holding an interest in the German striker. In this system, Burkardt’s role is quite flexible as he can both run the channels and hold-up play when in-possession. His movements, as with Nebel’s, are very important to creating the right-side overloads as he can either drop deeper to receive the ball on the right-side or make a run beyond into the channel. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instructions:

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Results

Bundesliga

In the Bundesliga, we overperformed exceptionally as we won the league! Of our 34 league games, we won 27 games, drew 5 games and lost just 2 games. Additionally, we scored 77 league goals (averaging around 2.2 goals per game) whilst only conceding 19 goals (averaging just over 0.5 goals conceded per game) demonstrating the team’s impressive defensive shape.

DFB-Pokal

In the DFB-Pokal, we weren’t quite as impressive as we were knocked out in the Second Round of the competition to Bayern Munich, a late Jamal Musiala goal sealing our fate in a 2-1 defeat.

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Conclusion

When Bo Henriksen took over Mainz 05 with the club in 17th in the Bundesliga, few could’ve predicted that the club would be in the UEFA Champions League spots in the Bundesliga just over 12 months later. 

However, it’s indicative of the fantastic work the Dane has done at the club. If Mainz do qualify for the Champions League this season, it would be the first time the club had made European football since 2016/17 and would be the first time the club has ever reached the UEFA Champions League. 

Regardless, this has probably been the club’s most successful season and Bo Henriksen and his team will forever be etched in the history of this great club. If you want a taste of this thrilling tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. 

I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!