After two cup defeats, RB Leipzig and Emil Forsberg are now striving to win the club’s first-ever title.
It feels like the whole city is burning with anticipation and it’s time to win now, says Forsberg.
Ahead of the cup final against Freiburg, the national team star now also talks about his vision for last season, the change of coach, the World Cup fiasco, Gene Anderson’s new attacking style of play, Jeff Sundsvall’s cancer and Zlatan’s possible end to Blagault.
After just over seven years at RB Leipzig, Emil Forsberg played regularly in the Champions League, played the World Cup and the European Championship with Sweden and scored goals and performances. But there is one thing missing. Title.
Tonight, the 30-year-old will have the chance to win the club’s first-ever title in Leipzig. That’s when he awaits the cup final against Freiburg at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Sportbladet spoke at length with the Sweden star ahead of one of the most important matches of his career.
– It’s going to be great fun. I think the third cup final in the last four years says a lot about where we are as a team and the quality we carry. But now it’s time for a title, too. That was the big goal since I signed here, when the club was in the Zweite Bundesliga.
We also had a very good week of training and there is interest across the city. He says everyone is waiting.
How do you feel about the interest?
Something like when you’re out walking the dog and people come over and wish you good luck and want to talk about the game. It is noticeable in training as well and within us players that something big is waiting.
We met Bayern Munich and Dortmund earlier in the finals and now we have Freiburg. It will be difficult. They had a really good season.
roller coaster
What do you say about your season?
– It was already a roller coaster. For the first six months, we got it completely wrong. That was not good. Then Jesse (Marsh) was fired after the winter break and Dominic (Tedesco) took over. After that, I think we showed our quality and really improved. We managed a place in the Champions League that was very important and there I think we are also showing the team that we are. Having a bad start and then showing the mental strength to change it and take us to the Champions League again.
– Shows the club’s location today.
She decided the cup semi-final against Union Berlin in the 92nd minute. Describe this feeling?
– So magical. It was my third consecutive cup semi-final goal for me, and it was great to be able to make the decision at home in front of 45,000 fans. It doesn’t get any better than that.
– There was a post from Benjamin Hendrix from the left and I remember standing in front of the hill and the gesture was hard and really felt inaccessible. Seeing her step in was unbeatable.
What do you say about your season then. You scored eleven goals and four assists in total, but you also rotated part of the team?
– I must say that I am very happy with the season. There have been some criminal cases, but they also need to be done. Penalties also win matches. Then I play in one of the best leagues in the world and we’re a big team, of course it’s a good competition. Just look at the team. I had a bit of a muscle injury there and in for a couple of months as well, but I’m still playing half the games.
– I am very happy given that we went to the Champions League and now we have a chance to win the title.
“I’m so proud”
What does winning this big title mean to you if the cup is still in Germany?
– It would be something very special. Few are privileged to win a title in one of the best leagues in the world. And maybe not many people thought that when I signed up for Leipzig 2015. Then there were many who saw my choice, but look where we are now.
We’ve played three cup finals, five Champions League finals and as a club we’ve bought and sold players who have been really good. Just look at a player like Ibrahim Kontate at Liverpool. We bought him for 20 million Swedish kronor, and he is now one of the best midfielders in the world. It’s incredibly fun. Then you have Timo Werner, Naby Keita who played here and now we have Nkunku and Dani Olmo here too.
I am very proud of what the club and I have accomplished.
Forsberg’s contract with Leipzig runs for another three years. He will thus be 33 years old when the contract expires. A few years ago, he was linked with Arsenal, Roma and Liverpool. But nowadays the midfielder feels at home in Leipzig.
When you were young, you had other views on things. I am a father now and we are thriving well here. You landed well in it. Earlier, when you were younger, you felt it was important that you wanted to leave and that you dreamed of playing for a bigger club. But why would I leave now? I already play for a big club, we play in the Champions League every year and fight for titles. I am very happy with life.
How do you see the World Cup miss the national team?
– It was a huge disappointment, of course. It’s the small margins and odd errors that cost the most in matches like this. So it is at the highest level. But we should still be proud of what we’ve accomplished. We are now looking forward to the Nations League and later also to the European Championship qualifiers.
How do you see Janne Andersson changing the game system to something more offensive?
– I am absolutely convinced that it will be better. We’ve talked loosely about this previously and asked the players about certain things. But we’ll do it together and Jan and Peter (Wettergren) will decide. But when I heard about it, it sounded incredibly fun.
“awesome”
Do you think you’ll get a more offensive starting point now?
– we will see. If you know me and my style of play, you know that I do everything in my power to put my teammates in as good positions as possible and give them scoring opportunities. We will do this as a team and we will keep working hard and I think like I said this is going to be really good.
Zlatan may have played his last game in blue and yellow as he is considering quitting. How do you look at it?
– I hope it doesn’t stop, I really hope it doesn’t, but it’s up to him. There is no one like him especially when it comes to mentality etc.
– But we’ll have to wait and see what he decides.
What do you say about your mom’s club Gif Sundsvall’s heavy introduction to the Allsvenskan?
– It was heavy of course and I was terribly angry many times. I’m a true supporter of Gif and I love seeing when things are going well for them and I hate when things go wrong. I think so far it hasn’t worked out the way you want it to, and I think it was already clear in pre-season that you didn’t make it, and of course it’s difficult in Allsvenskan where many teams have very good quality, says Forsberg.
continue:
– Of course I hope they turn this around. I know they are working hard to change the situation and they have had meetings on how to behave on and off the field and how to support each other. It will be interesting to watch the match against Mialbe. I hope and believe it will be a transformation. If you win there, they show that there is something to build on.
Staying together as a team and scoring points is the important thing now. Pontus Engblom doesn’t have it easy with me at times, because I’m too critical. But it’s a good team and I know it’s working hard with the group and they have to go in the same direction. Gif Sundsvall deserves to be on Allsvenskan.
And finally after that. You created some interest in your Gucci jacket several years ago, and there’s been talk of your work look since some collections. What equipment is shown for this group?
– Haha, yes you are. I must be surprised by something new. It’s fun to talk and you have something to write about. I don’t think I’ve gotten anything from Gucci over the past five years, but it depends. But we’ll see, I can come up with something, says Forsberg.