The concerns of the Swedish national team for the players

Of: Malin Wahlberg, Petra Thorén

Published: October 07, 2020 at 3:27 pm
Updated: October 07, 2020 at 4:22 p.m.

Federation Captain Janne Andersson is concerned.

Players are under pressure.

Tough game times worry the Swedish national team ahead of the trip to Russia.

– I think a lot is about finances, says Marcus Berg.

Societies have stagnated and organizations have changed during the ongoing pandemic. So does soccer, which, despite the growing spread of the infection, is trying to run its business.

The fall season has turned into a compressed period, where games not played this spring will be made up and the shortened season will be made up.

For players, day to day is tough. Fun but exhausting.

– It’s extreme this fall, says Viktor Claesson, who is back in the national team after a long injury hiatus.

Photo: JOEL MARKLUND / BILDBYRÅN

Janne Andersson and Marcus Berg.

“Fighting hard”

He is one of several national team players based in Russia. And despite Sweden playing Thursday’s friendly match in Moscow, the team’s five Russian professionals have gone to Stockholm for two training sessions before returning.

The friendly match against Russia was supposed to be played this spring, but the outbreak of the corona pandemic stopped it. Now the game must be played despite the fact that it represents three games in seven days for the Swedish team, which immediately after the visit to Moscow goes to Croatia and then to Portugal. Add to that a close match on the players club team.

Federation captain Janne Andersson is concerned about the health of the players.

– Because all the games they play are important and it is clear that the players who play all the time are basically well trained but it wears out. Soccer is a sport that wears out bodies, Andersson said at the news conference Monday.

– I’m a bit worried about some of our players. I’m absolutely. But at the same time, I hope the clubs are so wise that they listen to the players and give them a break when possible. But of course there is a concern, he continued.

“Not optimal”

Forward Marcus Berg, who is covidtops like every day in his Russian home environment, believes that clubs do everything possible to keep players healthy, but that the burden disappears.

– Not optimal. Most leagues have made the most of everything, he says.

Do you think that the clubs and national teams accompany you too much?

– I think a lot is about finances. For competitive matches (with the national team) this is the FIFA ranking before the World Cup qualifiers. There are many parameters, but it is not optimal for players, says Marcus Berg.

Kristoffer Olsson, clubmate with Berg in Krasnodar:

– You can see that the Russia match was not optimal, at the same time that it may be good for some newcomers who come in and have the opportunity.

Viktor Claesson, who is making his first national team meeting since a serious knee injury in Spain in the summer of 2019, admits that Krasnodar has a strained relationship with his participation in the Swedish team.

– They give you some clues … They are not entirely happy if I get home and have played three games in a week. We will enter the Champions League and play three games before the next national team meeting. They want you to rest and the national team wants you to come here, he says.

Do you feel caught between two interests?

– You don’t see it that way. You’d rather play for the national team than be at home and rest.

Published: October 07, 2020 at 3:27 pm

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