If tears were gold, Sweden would be world champions in soccer this Sunday.
But this was not how it was supposed to be.
It was now Janne Andersson, in front of packed stands, who would go around and thank the audience for their support. A successful qualification would be the end, the EC place clear.
When Janne on this evening of tears walked the last lap of reality and said thank you and hello to the audience, only 11,201 spectators had come to Friends. The EC hope had long been extinguished, apart from ranking points, the 2–0 victory against Estonia was worthless.
The evening began emotionally. The victims of the terrorist attack in Brussels, the supporters Patrick Lundström and Kent Persson, were well and tearfully paid tribute.
The kick-off whistle barely had time to silence before it was noticed that the Swedes were not going to let Thursday’s fiasco be repeated. The players played to honor the victims and for their own honor after the accident in Baku. They also played to give a victory as a parting gift to Janne Andersson.
They played against a team that had only one point with them from the seven matches in the qualifiers. Sweden was better than Estonia in everything and the best thing about Sweden this evening was the determination.
Sweden had decided to win and it was quite early only a question of how big the victory would be.
What happened during the match was not what you took away from this evening. There was the honoring of the victims before and the tributes of the leaders afterwards. Janne Andersson and his right-hand man Peter Wettergren were thanked in front of the Swedish heel and then went around the lap.
It will be easy to find a new national team captain. Whether it turns out right is another matter.
It won’t be difficult to bring in new leaders for the team. It will be much more difficult to find leaders in the team.
Of all the reasons why the Swedish men’s national team has had two straight pitch black years, the lack of leadership figures in the team has been one of the biggest.
Players who, with words and actions, roars and tackles if necessary, can wake up a team after a blow and stop the race from gaining momentum. People who can gather a collection of players who have started to spread. Players who are at their best when the games are dirty, mean and most important.
I look at the team who walk on Friends’ carpet and thank the valiant ones in the stands and I have a hard time seeing players who could be obvious leaders in the next few years.
Victor Nilsson Lindelöf? A nice guy but not the one who gets a team with him when it’s really needed.
Emil Forsberg? Trying to show the way with his game, but it hasn’t worked when the team is in crisis.
Robin Olsen? Is often angry after bad matches and it is said that he usually roars in the dressing room but it has obviously not had an effect.
Dejan Kulusevski? What do you mean?
Can Dejan Kulusevski become the leader the national team needs? Photo: Jesper Zerman/Bildbyrån
What is known about Swedish national teams and success is that there have always been clear leaders among the players.
It teemed of that type in the bronze gang in 1994.
There were several leadership figures in the squad that showed so much promise in 2002 and 2004.
And the team that went to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2018 was carried by Andreas Granqvist and he had several other mainstays around him.
When a new national team captain takes over, the Swedish squad will hardly have undergone a total renovation. However, the energy a new leader brings in will create a new dynamic and chemistry in the squad. Players who previously were not clear leadership figures can become so.
For Andreas Granqvist it was like that. He had been in the national team for a long time, but went in and out, had no high status and was certainly not a leading figure.
When a series of stars ended and Janne Andersson started as national team captain, he saw that “Granen” – that was his man.
Therefore, I am just as excited to see who will be the new leader of the national team on as who will be off the field. Someone or a few players must get the lift that Andreas Granqvist and Sebastian Larsson got.
Otherwise, the slide will continue for the men’s national soccer team.
Finally: Before the match against Estonia, I skimmed a text I wrote in October 2022. I thought that Janne Andersson should be replaced immediately by Jonas Thern.
I called the year that had been “the worst national team year in living memory”. I had no idea how miserable 2023 would be.
2023-11-19 19:15:05
#Johan #Esk #Hard #lead #team #pitch
