Updated 20.19 | Published 20.12
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Per Bohman’s five points from Hammarby-Häcken at Tele2 Arena.
check1. Intressanta val, Martí
Martí Cifuentes has been consistent. After the formation change, he has basically never started with more than a “ten”/winger in the slightly more free role around Jusef Erabi. Adi Nalic or Viktor Djukanovic has been Bajen’s counterpart to Anders or Kim? Now Erabis and Loret Sadiku’s injuries as well as Fredrik Hammar’s suspension blew big holes in Hammarby’s lineup. The purely explosive chain reaction: Djukanovic, Nalic AND the frozen August Mikkelsen in from the start.
Bajen faced the strongest offense of the series and, interestingly enough, chose to meet that challenge with their most offensively balanced eleven in many months.
full screen Martí Cifuentes. Photo: Emma Wallskog / Bildbyrån
check 2. Strong start, but Häcken was better
Hammarby came out strong!
Their attempts at high pressure, almost man/man marking, led to some quick ball wins and half chances. After that, the game evened out. Every time either team gained control of the ball, the other dropped pretty low according to a kind of ebb and flow system. The fence was always more dangerous, sharper. Spot-on game reversals and moves led to several rather fat situations, where not least Amour Layouni was constantly a threat that Bajen had a hard time dealing with. Mads Fenger was forced to save on the goal line and Oliver Dovin was responsible for cat-like reflexes when the eternally wasteful Edward Chilufya should have headed in 1-0.
full screen Peter Abrahamsson. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / Bildbyrån
check 3. A surface you have to rule over, Abrahamsson
Bajen were not bad, but Häcken had the upper hand in terms of chances. Then August Mikkelsen suddenly showed that football brain we’ve heard so much about but rarely seen. The Norwegian thought quickly and took a quick free kick in the attacking half. That gave Nahir Besara the chance to thump from distance, leading to a corner. The captain screwed into a surface where Peter Abrahamsson is supposed to be king, ruler and emperor. Instead, he acted without conviction, limply waving a fist and allowing Adi Nalic to back the lead. That Häcken, as a top team, conceded so many goals in 2022 and 2023 is not only about the fact that they are offensively oriented, but also because Abrahamsson cannot be counted as one of the series’ best goalkeepers.
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1 / 2Photo: EMMA WALLSKOG / BILDBYRÅN
check 4. A positive and a negative surprise
Hecken authoritatively took control of both the ball and the creation of chances after the break. That put Bajen in a difficult position. If you fill the team with a large number of distinctly offensive players who are forced to spend 80 percent of their energy on the defensive for long periods, it can lead to serious problems, even if you line up with a five-back line at the back. Marcus Raffety (in for injured Djukanovic), Mikkelsen, Nalic and Alper Demirol are obviously not super comfortable with or accustomed to playing a low, guarding defensive game. But Bajen hung in despite some worries and showed a strong collective team morale.
On one of the edges, Marc Llinares was constantly tussled with Häcken’s Abdulrazak Ishaq. The Spaniard has been a pleasant surprise – I thought he was a fill-in – and the Nigerian a really big disappointment. I expected that the physical phenomenon Ishaq would show the same form as in IFK Norrköping, but instead he has been strangely untimed. The full-back slid aggressively towards Llinares in a 50/50 duel inside the penalty area and brought down Bajen’s left-wing runner. Besara tricked Abrahamsson away on the ensuing penalty.
check 5. And then there were only two left… right?
Finally came the reduction. Chilufya fought from a suspected offside position into a goal he collected for. Someone or a few from Hammarby’s side dealt with the disappointment in a purely antisocial way by throwing one or more beer mugs at the assistant referee. There are too many people in Allsvenskan arenas who take those kinds of liberties, which show poor respect for sports officials when they are just trying to do their job.
Glenn Nyberg’s decision to pause the match for a long time, and Häcken’s hot pursuit of an equalizer was abruptly interrupted. The break disturbed the away team, who got out of rhythm. Still, they managed to work one last push, and it felt fair when substitute Momodou Sonko screwed in 2-2 past the great Oliver Dovin well into stoppage time.
The receipt ultimately mattered less. Häcken had needed to take all three points to really hook Malmö and especially Elfsborg. Getting two places and six pins in four matches is overwhelming. So there were only two gold contenders left…right?
2023-10-08 18:14:11
#Bohmans #points #HammarbyHäcken
