salubrey. Pierre Norath Bengtsson, 34, came to Djurgården as star acquisition.
But last season was not what the left-back had hoped for.
– I think I deserved more matches than I played, he says.
A year ago, Pierre Neurath Bengtsson left FC Copenhagen and signed for Djurgården. The former international missed four matches with a foot injury in the spring, then had to sit out the warm-up before the Europa League clash with Sepsis, which saw him miss more games.
After starting all of his games in the spring, Neurath Bengtsson was nipped by Elias Andersson, who was retrained at left back.
– Obviously, it was hard for me. Above all, it was very frustrating with the injuries. I’ve never been injured before, but in the end I understand that the coaches have to find other solutions when I was badly injured. to The matches where I had no injuries or sensations, I myself feel that I am performing at a high level and I have been able to contribute to Djurgården. But it was clearly a difficult development as it happened in terms of position, says Neurath Bengson.
Disappointed by the twitching against AIK
Sportbladet settles in with the 34-year-old at Hotel Djurgården during the training camp on Gran Canaria while it’s raining outside. He received no direct explanation for the poke.
– It’s more so when you left, someone else took a chance. I still think I played good games and I think I deserve more games than I played in the fall. But the coaches decide. You have to bite the bullet, work hard and take your chances when given, he says and continues:
– The hardest thing about not playing some matches was losing, like at home against AIK or the last cross against Bajen. I played a game against Bagen last summer, then we won and I think we were really good defensively then and as a team. You get extra gear with the help of the crowd in the derby. The biggest disappointment I had last year was not starting at home against AIK during the fall, those weeks felt really good and then being able to sit back and watch what we lose was amazing.
“high enough to start”
The way Thomas Lagerlof and Kim Bergstrand play was not something Neurath Bengtsson was completely accustomed to before.
– Maybe a little more than other teams, they want defenders to go more into the lane where you have strikers more wide. My strengths are my defense, my stability, my passing and my tackle on the edge. You probably want slightly different starting positions than you did as an advocate 5-10 years ago, he says and continues:
– I try to adapt and do it as much as I can based on the style of play they want to play. But you obviously feel they appreciated Elias’s qualities, too.
Do you think the starting point should be restored or is it more of a 50-50?
– You can ask Kim and Tul. But I see myself as a player of high enough quality to start playing at Djurgården. Then we’ll see how this season develops.
The 34-year-old has one year left on his contract with Djurgården. He doesn’t know what will happen when it expires at the moment.
– You understand that you will not play for a long time. At the same time, I will be 35 this year and I have a life outside of football here in Stockholm, and I have different projects and interests with my wife (Carolina Neurath Bengtsson), so football is no longer the only thing in my life. It was a few years ago.