Per Bohman earned five points from Royal Union Saint-Gilloise-Malmö FF in the European League.
1. Have we taken overachievement for granted?
Malmo FF It outperformed for so long in Europe that we almost took it for granted. During the current peak period, Scanias have consistently taken the scalp against powerful (and often richer) opponents. There are at least ten examples of this: Sparta Prague, Red Bull Salzburg, Olympiakos, Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk, Midtjylland, Besiktas, FC Copenhagen, Dynamo Kyiv, Lugano, Ludogorets, Rangers and Sivaspor.
So why did the EL group with Braga, Union Berlin and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise suddenly feel…impossible?
This, of course, is partly due to Malmö’s shaky form in 2022, but also to the fact that previous years’ victories had a rather dulling effect. Can Sky Blues still get nervous?
The group’s opposition this fall consists of three rather modest club names that – due to their high quality – are misleading. Malmö doesn’t get the chance to evoke that flamboyant feel and vulnerable build that is so crucial outside of Europe, despite the fact that MFF he is Clear of the underdogs against three difficult opponents.
2. Cruelly difficult opponents
This applies not only to the star-studded Braga and Union Berlin (undefeated in the Portuguese and German leagues, respectively!), but also in tonight’s away game against new-age side Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. The Belgians had three thrilling points in Berlin in the opening match and they are the kind of psychedelic clubhouse (the same owner as Brighton) and the typical computer-driven clubs that corporate footballers love to drool over.
Nobody thought exactly Malmö FF was a model club in 2022 and veteran Åge Hareide realized the importance of humility.
3. Ceesay flashed to – but MFF got away with a 1-1 . draw
The Norwegian sent a 4-5-1 defensive heavyweight with Martin Olsson and Joseph Sessay as additional ‘wing-back’ against the full-back. It had both clasps and a waist belt. I was a little afraid that the super physical union would explode and bury Malmö FF who dug himself in trenches.
Åge Hareide’s low-key football at times was very passive but had glimpses of important and proactive elements. Wingers and midfielders sometimes left the defensive formation and tried to crash or sabotage when opportunities arise. Six minutes later, Sesai and Olsson filled the attack the way hard-pressed teams should try to do. In the event of hypoxia, breathing holes were necessary where the MFF could come to the surface and gasp for air.
The duo flashed alongside strong bear Isaac Kiese Thelin and 100-meter runner Ceesay in a 1-0 to Malmö FF.
However, Skåne had the fluency that equaled 1-1 in the first half.
Christian Burgess (high similarity to Sundsvall’s Forest Lasso with a slight difference the English can actually play) sent in the equalizer and the Belgians pushed hard for the lead they deserved.
Union’s complete blend of physics and technology was crucial. Faster, stronger but also more sophisticated, which the giant Victor Boniface and the little genius Teddy Thomas symbolize in completely different ways.
4. Kiese Thelin Is Better Than Colak?
“Sky blue – fight on,” MFF heels loudly chanted. The combat effort was the least of Malmö’s problems. They ran, covered the roofs, took the melee.
Otherwise, for large parts of the match, Malmo was inferior in all parts of the game that had nothing to do with pure attitude or collective defensive discipline.
Isaac Kiese Thelin was isolated because his teammates were rarely able to calm the game or hold onto the ball. Hareide brought Sören Rieks as a sign of bolder offensive stances. After an hour of playing, Malmo has already received a bonus. It was more the Scots’ hysterical efficiency (two shots, two goals) than the match actually being tied, but hey, beggars can’t be picky.
Kiese Thelin was set as one of the scapegoats when Malmö crashed last summer. Unfair mean. My picture is that he always delivers in working teams, which MFF has rarely been this season. The center is often accused of being ineffective, but if you whitewash Allsvenskan’s stats, you’ll see that Kiese Thelin is one of the few candidates to outperform XG, expected goals (he scored ten goals, but “should” only score eight). Antonio Colak, always compared to Kiese Thelin, was quite the opposite and in 2021 he underperformed significantly at XG in 2021 (14 goals scored but ‘should’ have scored 20).
When Malmö advanced in a rare reshuffle, it was also Kizzi Thielin who scored 2-1 in Felix Pigmo’s clever move.
5. Fear that Malmö will be left out in Europe
Rangers, Celtic, Shakhtar… Now Malmö FF lead 2-1 after an hour of football. Will a new name be added to the line of heavy European victories?
No, to be honest, MFF wasn’t really close.
Teddy Toma stepped forward and shot 2-2 with his high-precision weapon to the left foot. Victor Boniface Muhammad Ali danced inside the penalty area with soft feet and came out 3-2. Malmö FF was reeling but helped establish himself against the ropes and finally built a credible pressure at the last minute.
But Malmö is not the same team that won the Europa League groups in 2018/19 and 2019/20 or went to the Champions League in 2021.
ge Hareide had a careful and reasonable tactical idea that the players faithfully followed. Sure, the MFF didn’t outperform, but its performance is in line with what can be expected from this year’s release So Gray. It simply isn’t enough.
I’m afraid that despite six respectable efforts, Malmö could leave the group stage without scoring any points.
MFF isn’t – everyone can tell now – anymore what they used to be.