We have a winner and the NT update!

September 27th, 2011 | by: aron | Comments Off

Well well, I miss a couple of weeks of the Allsvenskan for various reasons and look what happens: we end up with a champion. Helsingborg won the Allsvenskan 2011 and did so in style. I can´t think of a worthier champion. They played well all year and despite selling their best offensive weapons (Gerndt to Utrecht and Jönsson to Wolfsburg), losing Peter Larsson on the end of their loan deal with Copenhagen, they still managed to win the league. The question now is whether or not they can get the double by winning the Swedish cup in a couple of weeks?  Personally I wouldn´t mind seeing Kalmar take that one and getting another shot at playing out in Europe.

Despite the various games that were stopped for fan violence and other various incidences, it has been a beauty of a season. Malmö even made it to the group stages of the Europa League which hadn´t happened to a Swedish club in over four years: its going to be fun to see if they can actually win some (maybe this Thursday in their first home game?).

There are of course still a few rounds to go, but that is mostly to decide who will get the last two Europe spots. My money is on AIK and Elfsborg, though to be honest neither team has done well in qualifiying the last couple of chances they have had. Its that classical problem of not adjusting the style of play for the international level mixed with the usual exodus of talent that follows winning teams in smaller leagues.

Congratulations to Helsingborg, you really deserved this after a marvelous season and I wish you all the best of luck next year when you try to make it to the Champions League.

__________

Today Erik Hamren is calling a press conference to select 23 players he will use for the remaining qualifiers of the Euro 2012 campaign. Many of the Swedish regulars are struggling for playing time at their respective clubs and that doesn´t bode well for the last two games. We have to first go to Helsinki and then a couple days later we take on the runner-up from the 2010 World Cup.

As we have played so poorly as of late, I don´t think we are going to make the Euros anymore. I know I am giving a pessimists viewpoint now (and up to that debacle in Budapest I believed we were on our way), but given the form from the previous two games, it will be hard to win in Helsinki and even harder to sink an already qualified Netherhlands who will bring a squad for try outs. Still a win in Helsinki would mean at least a play-off spot. Is that too much to ask for?

The two questions are: will Ibrahimovic be match fit in time and will there be any new names to make the squad? I wouldn´t mind seeing Ekstrand and Guidetti make it to the team (especially with Gerndt struggling in Holland). Update tomorrow!