It was clear some time ago that Sweden's line player Oscar Bergendahl, due to injury, cannot participate in the upcoming handball World Championship.
In Thursday's national team match against Iceland, 31–31, the situation worsened when another high-class line player, Max Darj, limped off with an injury.
It's a cloud of worry, not impossible that we'll have to call in some reinforcements, says national team coach Michael Apelgren.
To be X-rayed
Max Darj tells Aftonbladet that his knee bent inward when his foot got stuck in the floor.
It's sad, but I'm not painting the town red yet. We'll see when the X-ray is done. But it's bad timing, says the midfielder about the World Championship chances.
When Bergendahl withdrew, Apelgren called in 31-year-old Olle Forsell Schefvert, a nine-meter player with few national team matches but with a lot of experience from defensive play in the German league.
One spot was left open in the World Championship squad since Apelgren only selected 17 players, and now midfielder Andreas "Stycket" Nilsson is called in. He is expected to join the squad on Friday.
Regardless of how injured Max is, "Stycket" will now be part of the World Championship squad, says Michael Apelgren to Aftonbladet.
The national team coach was pleased with Forsell Schefvert's performance against Iceland. He got plenty of playing time in defense during the second half and even managed to show some of his offensive capabilities.
Positive performance from him. When we got Bergendahl, who is our perhaps best defensive player in duels, injured, we felt that we wanted to prioritize strengthening our defense, says Michael Apelgren.
Even before the 2023 World Championship, Olle Forsell Schefvert was a late addition to the squad.
It's an honor to play for the Swedish national team. The competition is tough. The coach decides who will be part of it, it's about performing well in the minutes you get, says Forsell Schefvert.
"A bit sloppy"
Nearly 4,500 spectators in Kristianstad saw a match where Sweden's performances were of mixed quality.
A bit sloppy here and there. We need to get something extra as a team to become effective in the World Championship, says Michael Apelgren.
Sweden begins the World Championship in Oslo on January 16 against Japan and will also face Chile and Spain in the first group stage. Before that, the blue and yellow will meet Iceland again, in Malmö on Saturday.
