Bo Svensson: Who is Union Berlin's Danish coach who followed in Jürgen Klopp's footsteps?
Union Berlin is Bo Svensson's second job as a coach in the Bundesliga, having first made a name for himself with a rescue act at Mainz. Find out more about the Dane who once played under Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel before following in their footsteps...
Data correct as of 28 August 2024
Bo Svensson
Age: 45
Club: Union Berlin
Role: Head coach
Country: Denmark
When Mainz had just six points from 13 matches during the 2020/21 campaign, few would have backed them to stay in the Bundesliga. Managing director Christian Heidel, though, remained calm and returned to a path that had previously put the 05ers in good stead by appointing an up-and-coming coach who had previously cut his teeth at the club.
Following in the footsteps of Klopp and Thomas Tuchel was Svensson, who spent seven years as a player with the club. Before that, he had enjoyed a supremely successful spell in his homeland with Copenhagen, winning four Danish Superligas and a Danish Cup as a commanding centre-back and captain, as well as a stint with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
After hanging up his boots, Svensson first became assistant to Martin Schmidt before coaching the club’s U17s and U19s. That attracted the attention of Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg’s feeder club, and he was appointed as head coach in 2019. Liefering are unable to earn promotion to the Austrian top tier due to Salzburg’s presence in the division, but Svensson still led a young side to third place in 2019/20. Following a similarly impressive start to the 2020/21 term, Mainz came calling.
With the club almost dead and buried, Svensson inspired an incredible resurgence as FSV picked up 32 points from their remaining 21 games, losing just one of their final 11 fixtures. To prove he was not just a one-season wonder, the 45-year-old led his squad to eighth and ninth-place finishes in consecutive years.
In contrast, the 2023/24 term did not start well as Mainz failed to win any of their opening nine games, which ultimately led to Svensson’s departure. However, with Union looking for a new coach in the post-Urs Fischer era, the Dane seemed like the perfect fit, and he put pen-to-paper ahead of the 2024/25 term.
Coaches a bit like: Thomas Tuchel
Given their similar journeys, it is only natural that Svensson is compared to Tuchel, and he even learned directly from the UEFA Champions League winner himself having played under him. Their temperaments are comparable – both can often be seen displaying plenty of energy on the touchline, while they have each used three at the back to good effect. Svensson has admitted he sees Tuchel as an inspiration, so it will be interesting to see whether his career takes him in a similar direction.
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Did you know?
In 2021, Svensson joined Common Goal, a pledge-based charitable movement set up by former Chelsea and Manchester United attacking midfielder Juan Mata. The Union head coach has committed 1% of his salary to the cause, stating: “There is more to being human than just being good at kicking a ball. You should always be aware of your own development and of what influence you can have on other people. Football, of course, represents a small portion of what the world looks like. And I think it's important to set an example of how football can play a positive role.”
What they’re saying
“I only saw him as a player for a year. As a guy, he was a grenade even then. As a coach, he's a great, great talent and has done an outstanding job so far. And he has a heart for Mainz, that's important. He brings the right mood to the club again. I'm very optimistic that things are going in the right direction with him now.” - Former Mainz coach Jürgen Klopp in 2021
“I always look at other managers. I was a player under Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. These two guys played a pretty significant role in the decision making in my life. And it's still two people who I look up to, because I think not only the ways of playing football, but also in the way that they handle themselves, and just their character and their way of living their life is something that I connect very well with too.” - Svensson on his inspirations
“In close consultation with Oliver Ruhnert and Horst Heldt, we decided on a new sporting start in the summer and are convinced that Bo Svensson is a coach who is a good fit to our club. I'm looking forward to working with him and I'm sure that together with the team he can ensure that we play a good role in the Bundesliga.” - Dirk Zingler, Union Berlin president
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