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IFK Norrköping had a failed ending in a season that didn’t turn out to be what it appeared to be at first.
– All involved must look in the mirror. A sixth place is not enough from the beginning that we had, says midfielder Henrik Castegren to Sportbladet.
Now a vacation awaits you that can bring important changes.
The bitter aftertaste after the 3-4 loss to Helsingborg did not leave the Norrköping players during the first day of the winter break.
– That process is not really finished. It was a very, very sad ending to a shaky season. As it turned out, it would have been easier to leave with a good ending. And with the result in hand, we would have won a European place if we had won, so it is incredibly sad for us as an association and for the fans, says Henrik Castegren the day after the defeat.
Just Castegren was part of a Norrköping defense which conceded four goals in one half in the first half of the season finale against an already relegated Helsingborg.
Photo: PETER HOLGERSSON / BILDBYRÅN
– The feeling was that every ball that came towards us was on the crossbar. Sometimes it can be like that. So I can imagine Helsingborg felt the same. A very strange match.
“It always feels like this”
It was also in many ways a strange season for IFK Norrköping.
A team that after eight initial undefeated rounds appeared to be on a fast track against the Lennart Johansson Cup, but which ultimately became an undefeated six-sided draw.
– They have been falls too long from which we did not get out. Too many times we had the coincidences against us, summarizes Castegren.
After a season that did not turn out as they had hoped, several prominent players can now leave.
Isak Pettersson indicated his ambitions already before the season. And the expiring contract of Simon Thern and Filip Dagerstål has yet to be extended (according to Expressen, it is clear that Dagerstål will also be leaving).
Was there the “last night with the gang” feeling yesterday?
– It’s hard to feel considering that all the focus was on us doing everything right in the end. In a way, it is not clear what is happening in general. It is a period ahead that will be interesting. But the focus of the player squad has only been to get the required results, says Castegren and thinks:
– Last night with the gang … Of course, it always feels like this in a last game, whether some have to leave or not.
“Believe in continuity”
For Henrik Castegren, it was the end of a season where his own product seriously established itself in Beijing’s starting XI with 22 starts.
Coach Jens Gustafsson’s confidence has been strong.
– Jens has meant a lot to me. He and I have a very open and good relationship. If you think I’m horrible, you can say so. The same if it is good. It has given me a lot of confidence in my leadership qualities, as a player and as a person. Then some parts of the season that you are most satisfied with and others less.
In any case, do you seem to expect Jens to stay and not move to Denmark?
– I believe in continuity and in the way of working. So it depends on the club how to choose. There is nothing I can say. This is how it is.
“It went up the food chain”
Yes, changes in administrative staff may also be imminent.
The Danish Aalborg will show great interest in Jens Gustafsson, information that Expressen was the first to include and in which Sportbladet also participated. According to Fotbolldirekt, Gustafsson’s future will be decided tonight (Monday) at a board meeting.
Some leadership changes have already been announced. For example, the fact that faithful servant Dale Reese (sports injury therapist) is leaving for Helsingborg after more than a decade of presence at the club, a loss that Castegren describes as “incredibly sad”.
Do you feel that big changes are going to happen in general in the club?
– It is very difficult for players to answer. Change occurs in all types of organizations. All decisions made are only expected to be in the best interest of the association, says Castegren.
– If we had had some margins with us in some games and some flow, we may not have asked for some changes. Very small details determine how the results will be. It’s easy to watch the latest games. You have to look back to see where IFK as an association has gone. It has climbed the food chain and has become an established fully Swedish top-tier team.
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