Johan Esk: Luck has nothing to do with the matter

It was like hearing an echo from the 2006 FIFA World Cup and I really did not like what I heard.

Sweden had lost to Georgia. It sounded like when Sweden played 0-0 against Trinidad & Tobago as the start of the 2006 World Cup.

There was talk of luck and bad luck. Now as then.

Just as then, there was in the Swedish analyzes after the match a flattening of the blur that characterized the Swedish game in the decisive situations.

Victor Nilsson Lindelöf took over his awkward defensive game at 0-2, but if you add it up with the lack of selection and dizzying action at 0-1 and add all the sloppy and weak finishes in Batumi, you get a picture that shows that it was not bad luck that created the loss against Georgia. It was blur.

It’s as it was said in the old ironing tips ad:

“Luck has nothing to do with it.” Luck has nothing to do with the matter.

Both now and then, Swedish leaders forget the opponents’ chances.

In November 2021, Janne Andersson said that Georgia was lucky when they scored. In the 2006 World Cup, Lars Lagerbäck had apparently not seen the opponents’ free position and shots in the crossbar, at least it was not included in the analysis afterwards.

In Batumi, it was hardly the case that Georgia scored two goals in their only two chances.

Luck and bad luck is not something you get. This is created as a consequence of the action.

It was not bad luck that made Alexander Isak miss the free kick. It was a lousy ending.

It was not luck that made Sweden in this summer’s European Championship match cruised against Spain in the goalless meeting. It was the fruit of a good defense effort.

Now more is needed.

Now a win is required to win the group and be ready for the World Cup immediately and now there is nothing to lose.

Now Sweden must dare more to win.

The difficult thing about this match is finding the balance.

Should Sweden be low and gathered in a defensive block, hoping that a chance arises and otherwise push forward the last five?

Should Sweden dare to step higher and more aggressively earlier with the risk that Spain will hurt with long balls as against Greece on Thursday?

The absolute most difficult thing about this second match in Sevilla in just five months will still be scoring goals.

The 0-0 match in the European Championships was like a nice summer rain in comparison with the keel delays Sweden has experienced against Spain in the European Championship qualifiers in Madrid. It was 0–3 in 2007 and 2019 and Sweden was completely played out both times.

After the loss in Georgia came of course the talk that Sweden got worse with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It’s snow. As I recall, he was not involved in the useless effort against Greece earlier this autumn.

Sure, there will be more balls against Zlatan but a bigger problem was that Alexander Isak lost his usual ball touch, that Emil Forsberg was too invisible for too long and that Kristoffer Olsson again has a hard time finding his former national team form.

A clear problem is also that the lack of Albin Ekdal was so clearly noticed again. Now he is back but there is no given alternative next to him.

Kristoffer Olsson ends up wrong, Mattias Svanberg did not impress against Georgia and Oscar Lewicki has played too little after the injury. I would rather see Svanberg but it will probably be Olsson again.

For Sweden, it will be a playoff game in March to get to Qatar. If Sweden does not go there, we can always say that Sweden is boycotting the dictatorship World Cup.

Read more: Alexander Isak: “Spain knows we can beat them”

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