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Marbella. To play or not to play.
A question that should be easy to answer. Peter Gerhardson is still hesitating.
Should Sweden really need to learn from Norway?
Playing time, or rather, its lack, players of the Swedish national team. A sore point for the national team captains.
Too many players on the bench in Europe have been raised as a problem and explanation when results don’t come in.
Jan Anderson mentioned it as a benchmark after the men’s poor efforts in 2022 and Peter Gerhardtson pointed it out more recently after the big loss at home to Australia.
– You’ll get answers to take with you into the next year. He said then, We need more players who play 90 minutes in club teams.
Show something completely different
During the fall, Gerhardson mentioned the same thing over and over. Not just after lackluster efforts against Australia.
But then the selections revealed something completely different. The thing about taking her with him to next year seems to have been completely forgotten by the captain of the national team.
It becomes problematic when he says one thing but does another.
After exiting the European Commission, Gerhardtson has had 34 different players in four meetings. At the same time that he’s getting angry that players don’t play for his clubs, he continues to take out players who come off the bench.
He must speak clearly
I don’t think a player like Rebecca Blomqvist should be kicked out of the national team because she lacks playing time at a big club like Wolfsburg.
However, I think Gerhardson should speak out.
Was it smart of Madeleine Janogy, who was kicked out of the European Commission after an injury-riddled spring, to stay at one of the best teams in the Allsvenskan team where she is more or less guaranteed playing time or should she have gone to a top European club to get to the WC?
Three months ago, Gerhardson seemed like playing time mattered.
Now it seems like having a fancy club title hits even louder.
– It’s a complex issue, says Gerhardson.
The eternal question
Januji chose when to play. Joanna Rating-Canried chose the second path. From a certain starting place in Häcken to Chelsea, where she basically had to jump.
– Now, first of all, I feel like I’m getting an incredibly good workout. The place where I spend the most time and that environment is still of the highest quality. I feel stronger than ever even though I haven’t played all the minutes.
Training environment versus playing time. The eternal question.
Norway captain Haig Reis, who took over after the failure of the European Championships last summer, showed her stance on the issue when she challenged Manchester United duo Fielde Boy Ressa and Maria Thorisdottir for lack of playing time in her first team as part of the explanation. . She even wondered if Böe Risa should stay at the English big club.
Clear signals from the captain of the Norwegian national team
Reis was also skeptical when midfielder Lisa Nalsund left Norwegian champions Brann for United this winter.
Clear signals, if you do not play in the club, it will be difficult for you to get a place in the national team.
What is it like when the Swedish captain is now asked what a player should think?
Is it easier to get a place in the Swedish World Cup squad if you sit on the bench of a top European club than if you play 90 minutes week in and week out at a top Swedish club?
– If you have a big club and you play 90 minutes, it’s a little easier.
Talk about dodging the question. If even the Swedish captain doesn’t know, how are the players supposed to do it?
Gerhardson has extended his contract beyond 2025. If Sweden qualify, it could be three tournaments in a row, after which I hope the Swedish captain will look to Norway.
Give the players a fair chance to see what’s at stake. It’s time to speak from your beard, Peter.