Guthenberg. Crossing against Djurgården and outdone by Häcken, but Värna counter-coach Kim Hellberg keeps the Blue Stripes as SM’s gold candidate.
And he gets unexpected approval from the series leader:
– We are a competitor, says Hedges coach Per-Matthias Hugmo.
With a 4-1 victory at home against IFK Värnamo, Häcken moved to the top of the Allsvenskan table.
But it took some time before the home team grabbed the visitors. After Mikel Rigaard scored 1-0 in the 44th minute, the numbers ran out in the second half in a match where Varnamo still lacked chances.
– Heiken should have scored one and two goals in the opening, but I’m still proud to play for my team. The hurdles are great, says Varna coach Kim Helberg.
stick to Djurgarden
Three weeks ago, Varnamo played 0-0 at home against Djurgården. Hellberg then made a statement about SM’s Golden Battle.
– I said Djurgården would win SM gold after we last met them… I don’t know if I should stick to that, Hellberg says with a smile.
– I think Häcken is very skilled around the penalty area if opponents are low. Also, Sana came up with great qualities. The three Heiken midfielders and the three forwards together become a formidable skill. They are also brave in their defensive game as they run high. I love Häcken, but…
…change your advice?
– I can’t swing now, but it will be, says Kim Helberg.
His star striker Marcus Antonsson partly aligns with the same line:
Offensively, Häcken is probably the best team in the Allsvenskan in terms of speed and combinations and with Jeremejeff ahead. But defensively, they are quite open if you play through their initial pressure. I got many decent positions.
– Hedging needs to strike this balance. Then it can become dangerous along the way, Antonson says.
Take advantage of European games
Coach Per-Matthias Hujmo has no problem raising the preferred pressure on the chasing teams even though his side leads Allsvenskan with five and six points in a row ahead of Hammarby and Djurgården, both of whom have played one game less.
How does multiplayer in Europe affect Djurgården and Malmo FF?
My experience with Rosenborg and Tromsö is that they are positive. You get a higher pace. There is a difficulty in training properly and not getting injured, Högmo tells Sportbladet.
Which team is the most likely to win the gold battle?
There’s a long way to go, 30 points to play for. He is open about it. I don’t consider us the favourite, Häckentränaren says, we are a competitor.
In front of Varnamo, reserve goalkeeper Johann Bratberg had to stand between the posts because Peter Abrahamson was knocked out with a thigh injury. Left-back Christopher Lund had to throw in the towel after the warm-up and superstar Alexander Geremjev suffers from a neck injury.