Janne Andersson’s days as national team captain may be numbered.
Now the TV4 profiler Olof Lundh points out his dream replacement – and looks at a WC 1994 hero.
– Preferably together with one of the big players, says Lundh.
When Sweden won with a clear 5-0 against Estonia this weekend, the dream of the EC was rekindled. But the conditions for the match against Austria on Tuesday evening must be crystal clear: A win was needed to make up for the big lead that Austria and Belgium had acquired, and the match started extremely positively for Blågult.
Can get fired
Sweden lined up goal chances and could have led with both one and two goals when a quarter had been played. But at half-time the score was still 0-0 – and well into the second half, it wasn’t long before Austria took advantage of one of the few chances in the game so far. A post after a seemingly harmless throw-in led to the lead goal, and then both 2-0 and 3-0 came from just speed. The loss means that Sweden’s dream of the EC is largely crushed.
A miracle is required for Sweden, as Belgium or Austria must drop points in each remaining match – while Blågult goes clean. Everything indicates that Janne Andersson and his national team miss out on their second championship, after failing to qualify for the WC in Qatar. Many experts now believe that Janne Andersson’s days are numbered, and that it is time for someone else to take over the job as national team captain. And despite the fact that the confederation has announced that the confidence in Andersson is intact – and that there is no indication that he will be fired in the autumn – the speculation about the next confederation captain has already started.
READ MORE: The giant sawing from Norway after Sweden’s big fiasco in the EC qualifier against Austria says it all: “Humiliation”
Pointing out the dream name
Olof Lundh, journalist and profiled football expert on TV4, believes that it is high time for Janne Andersson to leave his position – and he has clear thoughts about who he wants to see as the next national team captain. There has been a lot of talk about Graham Potter, who previously coached Östersund and who was fired by the big club Chelsea last year, but he thinks Olof Lundh will be too expensive to sell. Instead, he turns his sights on certain World Cup 1994 legends – and two real national team icons.
Lundh believes that Jonas Thern, together with Olof Mellberg or Henrik Larsson, had been excellent national team captains.
– For my own part, I would like to see Jonas Thern together with one of the great players, perhaps Olof Mellberg or Henrik Larsson. It’s clear that there is a bit of a longing for Graham Potter, as an alternative, but I don’t think he is relevant. But he would have been good, says Lundh in Fotbollskanalen.
He continues:
– But Thern would have been exciting, he has good ideas and is an old great player who has the right education, and who also has coaching experience.
Jonas Thern has previously been successful in Värnamo and was praised for his leadership in the club. Last spring, however, he left the coaching role, but is still at the club as a scout.
READ MORE: The TV profile rages after the Swedish fiasco in the European Championship qualifiers – the images that make him see red: “I don’t want to see it!”