We are approaching the European Championship and there is only one round left before the longer summer break.
What team should he turn over so he can enjoy the holiday and BK Häcken wakes up again?
The Sportbladet gives you the answers.
“El Gnällico” and the match in the midnight sun – what made the biggest impression on you during the last round?
A new loss for PK Haken, can the team rise against Hammarby?
Which non-Swedish profile are you looking forward to following at the European Championships?
What teams and/or players should be putting in their shows this weekend so they can take a vacation with a clear conscience?
Makoto Asahara, reporter/columnist
“El Gnällico” and the match in the midnight sun – what made the biggest impression on you during the last round?
It’s hard to ignore the Midnight Sun match. I absolutely love this initiative when you take your geographic location, usually in a difficult football context, and turn it into something positive. Of course, we might wonder how sportingly fair Djurgården would be visiting for a game with a kick-off time of 23, but given the travel time Beteo needs to spend in away matches (vs other teams), it really is just a small one.
As a Spanish football fan, I generally like the late start times, of course, the positive feeling increases with all of that.
The most positive thing, however, was Hlin Eiriksdottir’s bumper point handover. Maybe she and Petio will have to push to play midnight on every home game…
A new loss for PK Haken, can the team rise against Hammarby?
– Crisis in Häcken? Yes, that sounds so nonsense to me, it just doesn’t seem so to me. At least if one had to be in high demand for BK Häcken to challenge for damallsvensk gold. Because right now, even a Champions League ticket doesn’t feel safe. The win (over BP) in the last five matches is not good. Two consecutive home losses are just as bad.
– In many ways, this is also Haken’s worst chance of meeting Hammarby, who started a big rally after a tentative start to the season. I see it as far from certain that yellow and black will go up here.
Which non-Swedish profile are you looking forward to following at the European Championships?
Finland couldn’t get a tighter tie than it got with Germany, Spain and Denmark. Moving out of that group would be a biblical miracle. With that said, it will be very interesting to see what all of the Damallsvenska profiles in “Huuhkajat” can do against the world-class resistance. Will Rhea Owling be given the space to exercise her brilliance in the same way we are used to seeing her? How do useful players like Emmi Alanen and Elli Pikkujämsä stand up on the international stage? Can we see a shot from a distance of Jenny Danielson? How many goals did Linda Salestrom score? And, of course, it will be very interesting to see how stars such as Natalia Koica and Evelina Sumanin have developed since their departure from damallsvenskan.
Finland matches will be followed with additional interest.
What teams and/or players should be putting in their shows this weekend so they can take a vacation with a clear conscience?
Can I reply to BK Häcken here again? Even if the model is pointing down and Hammarby has every chance of exacerbating his crunch, Häcken really needs a triple pointer here. If not, it is already a crisis in Heisingen. The player that needs to step up is Joanna Retting Känried, who didn’t look the same after picking the European Championship team as she did before (which in itself applies to Häcken as a team as well). If you can find a part of that spring form again, both Häcken and the national team will be delighted.
Otherwise, none of the four, who are clearly dependent on the table, felt bad about a point or three in their matches. With a higher or lower probability and pressure herself to succeed in solving it, it must be said.
Saja Fredrickson, Veplay Expert:
“El Gnällico” and the match in the midnight sun – what made the biggest impression on you during the last round?
– It was good to read that over 900 people went to Kiruna for the midnight match. The match starts at 23:00… on Monday. The fact that nearly 1,000 people have chosen to support the law under strange circumstances makes me feel extra happy and somewhat jealous that I can’t be there myself. The hosts also opted to provide a goal through Hlin Eiriksdottir who did not appear to be bothered by the delay in the start of the match.
– It was revenge for Eskilstuna United at the Battle of “El Gnällico”. An own goal decided the last meeting and now a more convincing victory, 2-0 at home. In the back of our minds, we must bear in mind that the wounded KIF Orebro came to Tonavalen. They lack a lot of important players. And if there’s one thing we know for sure at Damallsvenskan, it’s that you can rarely afford to lose players along the way, even if they inevitably become so every year.
Still, Eskilstuna impresses me. They may not always reach their peak performance, but I have great respect for the fact that the team continues to rally despite the club’s financial mess. I find it hard to believe that it wouldn’t affect the players or staff below the surface, but outside they continue down the paved road and won, among other things, against the fence in the far field. Hats off!
A new loss for PK Haken, can the team rise against Hammarby?
– They can and should wake up. The last match before a longer break where you have time to land and recover. I think Häcken has footballers who can win the game against Hammarby, and I think everyone knows, it’s about something completely different on Friday. Mentality. Who has the strength all the way to the finish line this summer? We can all relate to the days before the holidays. But it is the situation that determines the shape of the last days. Either you decide the last thing on your mind and make sure you deliver a high performance with a clear mind and determination, or your head is already checked and your energy is reminded. I feel like there are two hungry, strong attacking teams battling it out in a very important match. Regardless of the outcome, both teams definitely want to leave feeling they did everything they could to define the match and put in a good performance. This feeling will inevitably accompany them during their break and make their mark in the fall season.
Which non-Swedish profile are you looking forward to following at the European Championships?
There are a lot of names to choose from and many fear the Swedish league will lose out to big names this year, but the national team selections have been submitted and we see several Damallsvenska players representing their countries during this summer’s European Championship. I’m extra curious about Rhea Owling who I think will play in her natural midfield position during this summer’s tournament. I missed her offensive tackle with the ball near my feet.
Another player who grew up on me during the spring season is KIF Örebro, Elli Pikkujämsä. There are few in Damallsvenskan who can hit the ball with such force, as she does. I hope you can take advantage of this cutting edge feature in the transformation match for Finland.
The Danish national team is also represented in Damallsvenskan. Of course, it didn’t shock me to see Catherine Feige occupy a place in the team, but perhaps most surprisingly, young Sophie Bridgaard would be so visible in the team building. She’s shown good form in the league and has a left foot that all defenders should watch out for.
– He can’t pull me out of quick contact as we are glad to see two former Swedish players “playing” this summer. Of course I’m thinking of players like Sanne Troelsgaard (Reading), Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir (Bayern Munich), Ramona Bachmann (PSG) and Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir (most recently Olympique Lyonnais). The latter makes me more predictable. There are quite a few players with Gunnarsdottir’s warrior mentality. It has the action potential that can make any nervous professional to meet.
What teams and/or players should be putting in their shows this weekend so they can take a vacation with a clear conscience?
– It is important that all teams perform this weekend. The aforementioned BK Häcken needs to flip the ship, to say the least. It’s a feeling now or never. In addition to those, I think Kristianstad has a tough match against Betio in front of them. Piteå comes off a solid performance in the midnight sun and Kristianstad can’t afford to lose his ground. Vittsjö, Eskilstuna and Hammarby are heaving a sigh of relief and definitely want to install themselves at the top of the table before the break. Perhaps the team below is eager for the vacation and time to lick the surgeon. A good performance in the final round determines whether they go with hope or despair this fall. Expecting all four teams at the bottom to get the points would be a no-brainer, but getting a good feeling that there is something real to build on before fall feels important.
Petra Turin, Reporter/Columnist
“El Gnällico” and the match in the midnight sun – what made the biggest impression on you during the last round?
– Gorgeous and exotic framing with night match. But what remained with me was further evidence that athletes can protect themselves from just about anything, which is the cornerstone of achievement. But at the same time, it is remarkable that athletes, when the walls around them crack, give up attention and responsibility. Focus on your match in one team. Then. “I haven’t read anything about it, I think the club’s officials are also to blame,” said Felicia Rogic about Eskilstuna’s threatened license. Maybe getting away is a must, maybe not. Anyway, he went on the road. Eskilstuna beat Örebro at “El Gnällico”. But this is not enough in the bank.
A new loss for PK Haken, can the team rise against Hammarby?
– I went out at Häcken’s training facility on Thursday. Press games were honed there – Stena Larsen and Pauline Hammarlund did not have much time to play together – and the winning instinct was attracted by various point drills. Ellen Robinson is back in the lineup against Hammarby. A key player who was missing when the team was anxious and mentally slumped. If that was enough to rebound towards the mighty Hammarby, I doubt it.
Which non-Swedish profile are you looking forward to following at the European Championships?
Mel Miguel Jensen had an exciting spring in BK Häcken. Can she take with her this development in the Danish team? A player who chose to leave the major international clubs to grow in Damallsvenskan. Thankful. I’m curious how it will go for Vecho and veteran Finland national footballer Lena Salström. The striker returned after a difficult injury.
What teams and/or players should be putting in their shows this weekend so they can take a vacation with a clear conscience?
– The obstacle is understood after two consecutive losses and a golden battle that runs out of players’ hands. But also IFK Kalmar, who shouldn’t keep leaking more defensively, and AIK who once again needs to feel the shift is dangerous.
Anna Raiden, host/reporter
“El Gnällico” and the match in the midnight sun – what made the biggest impression on you during the last round?
Eskilstuna dazzled with his double victories and how he performed on the pitch despite a threatened elite license and club tampering. But if you think back to the last round, it was a stuck goal. Marika Bergmann Lundin’s cannon against WIZO. From where he came?
A new loss for PK Haken, can the team rise against Hammarby?
can and can. They should do it more or less, given that he is waiting for a two-month break. The hedge needs to regain self-confidence and a better sense of what it was after the last two losses. Otherwise it will be a really heavy summer in Hisingen.
Which non-Swedish profile are you looking forward to following at the European Championships?
– Of course there are a lot of interesting players. If you choose one of them, it will be Rosengard and Finn Ria Olling, who will certainly play in a Finland that needs to defend a lot, but still have to show their potential in midfield.
What teams and/or players should be putting in their shows this weekend so they can take a vacation with a clear conscience?
The simple and quick answer is, of course, Häcken. They can’t afford to lose more either when it comes to points or self-confidence. It is up to the evidence against the powerful Hammarby.
