Djurgarden went through the group stage unbeaten, collected more than 80 million Swedish kronor and is ready for the round of 16 in the European Conference League.
Now the team can face big teams like Fiorentina, Lazio or Trabzonspor.
“If someone had said earlier that we would reach the group stage and then stand as group winners with 16 out of 18 points, you would have been called Donald Duck,” says sporting director Boss Anderson.
Djurgården was already a group winner and reached the round of 16. But after the 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers, the team brought another 5.5 million crowns to the club, improved its points in the standings and made sure to move past the group undefeated.
– Jacke (Widell Zetterström) said in the dressing room that when Rijeka scored in his first away match at the end of July, he thought “Okay, that’s going to be a nice memory. A little adventure. Thank you bye.” But fortunately that wasn’t the case, says Rasmus Schuller, we did it very, very aggressively.
Magnus Ericsson agrees.
– I still insist that Rijeka was probably the hardest thing we faced during this trip. Apoel was also good, and we’ll beat Sepsi. But that trip (Rijeka) and that match gave us a lot. We handled this very well. Now we stand as series winners with 16 out of 18 points, it’s just a matter of tipping our hats. I’m very proud of the way we did it and the spirit we showed.
This is where the money goes
sports manager Boss Anderson He would have never believed that Djurgården would stand as the group winner after winning 10 matches, one draw and one loss (one by double-header against Apoel) during the entire European trip.
– If I had said earlier that we would get to the group stage and then stand as group winners with 16 out of 18 points, you would have been called Donald Duck or something. I respect what we have done and am very grateful for the support we have given. Away from home, it was almost like home games.
The European successes mean that Djurgården has registered over 80 million Swedish kronor to date. But the sporting director will not throw money during the transfer window.
– I don’t think you should work any differently. We are not the club that can pay more, but on the other hand we can have a great time in our club and it’s great to come here and play in front of this crowd. We have a football team that is doing very well and has a good foundation to stand on. I don’t think the solution lies in investing and buying only football players, we must continue with the culture and strategy we have. Then maybe we can handle ourselves to do things that will last, so that we can invest and build better facilities.
Is it clear that Kaknäs will be expanded?
We hope to be able to develop the club with better facilities. It’s great when you need to call Swedbank and ask if we need a bridging loan when construction is complete, I think we can handle that.
The ability to attract with the playoffs in Europa Conference League This spring and also the new European qualification next season does not make it more difficult for Boss Anderson to attract new players.
– It’s cruel! Who wouldn’t want to play at this club when you see the pressure and what we’re doing and doing. It is now much easier than it was 5-6 years ago, says the sporting director, and he is also ready for the players to disappear.
– There is a challenge when we have done as we have done. It is clear that some players excelled. You can see that he is a player who has done well on the European stage and they are clearly becoming more attractive and we can meet those challenges.
‘We aim to move forward’
Djurgården improved his ranking point even further after the win over Shamrock, meaning he could appear to be seeded up to a potential playoff in next year’s Europa League qualifiers.
Anderson is satisfied with the situation, but does not want to compare himself to the giants of recent years, Malmö FF.
– We met Daniel Anderson, a Swede Joachim von Anka. We cannot measure it. On the other hand, we have to eat. We started nine years ago with a club that did not have the same financial conditions, we own the decisions ourselves and gained, by our standards, an incredibly tough financial development. We’ve made sure the zoo will be participating and fighting for European places for a long time to come.
In the Round of 16 of the European Conference League, Djurgården will face one of the play-off winners. This could mean Fiorentina, Lazio or Trabzonspor, but also an easier difference on paper.
Some players dream of having a great team, I don’t really care about that but I’d rather have a sporting challenge where we feel we have an absolute chance. We have it against all teams, but there is an easier and harder opposition. We aim to go further, and then you want the best possible,” says Magnus Ericsson.
How far can you go?
– It depends a little on what kind of drawing it will be. If you get these giants, it’s going to be tough, but anything is possible and we know we’re a good soccer team here, so we’re going to rally the force and make it the beast here at home.