John Guidetti, an expert on TV4, was clear about what he thought after Isak Hien's performance in the first half against the Netherlands.
Hien lets Brobbey (two-goal scorer) set the tone and win the duels in midfield. Isak Hien: please, you have to be number one. Always number one. You can't fall behind there, Guidetti said.
Sweden had a weak defensive performance, to say the least, and after just 20 minutes they were down 0–2.
The 27-year-old is also being watched in Norway. Magnus Wolff Eikrem, formerly of Malmö FF and now an expert on NRK, says that the centre-back's performance was "shocking".
"I almost get angry. It's a defensive game that's unlike anything else. I'm shocked at how it's possible; Sweden is losing the match here," he says.
But in the mixed zone after the match, Hien was defended by his teammates:
We are losing 1-5 so it is clear that there will be criticism. There will be no positive things. But it is not just Isak who will receive criticism, but the entire back line. On the third goal I can sprint down faster, Victor Nilsson Lindelöf said.
