Updated 18.05 | Published 17.52
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Jesper Karlsson’s move to Bologna has been an adjustment.
Now he is resorting to new tricks to learn Italian.
– Dejan and I had a lesson in the sauna last night, says Karlsson.
Jesper Karlsson was thrown directly into the hot air after the move to Bologna at the end of August. But after getting plenty of playing time in the opening five games, the 25-year-old has been benched in the last two.
– It was straight in and I got to play a lot, but the results weren’t really with us. We have tested something new from match to match with new players. Last two have been good and then I haven’t played.
The fact that coach Thiago Motta does not speak English means that Karlsson feels that he needs to learn Italian quickly.
– It has been a bit of an ordeal the first month. Even if you ask someone to translate, something is always missed. I think the language will be an important part.
How’s that going?
– It goes up and down. You try to learn and take some lessons and try your hand at it. I was not as pushed to learn Dutch. A lot of people could speak English there. It came with time, but here it feels like it becomes important to learn the language. I have not been in that situation before, so now you try to find some new ways to learn.
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1 / 2Photo: JOEL MARKLUND / BILDBYRÅN
“Don’t know if I can trust him”
A recent one has been to take help from Dejan Kulusevski during the national team meeting.
– I go to lessons and sit at home and try to learn. Dejan and I had a lesson in the sauna last night, so I’m testing myself in different ways. He is so convinced every time he says something, so I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I have to trust it, says Karlsson and continues:
– He has good self-confidence when it comes to Italian and languages so I listen to him.
Motta, however, has been clear, via an interpreter, that he believes in the Swede. Karlsson himself tries to stay calm.
– There are different phases. In my football, I am very confident and know what I can achieve. You end up in different situations in football and you just have to try to handle them as well as possible. Now it’s very new and you just have to try to deal with it and fight on.
Sweden meets Moldova in a practice match at Friends on Thursday and then the European Championship qualifier against Belgium awaits away on Monday.
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1 / 2Photo: JOEL MARKLUND / BILDBYRÅN
2023-10-11 15:55:01
#Takes #Kulusevski #move #Test
