The new Swedish men's national football team is to be built on bold attacking football, the kind that gets the crowd excited.
Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, the attacking duo, have taken to heart the ideas and visions of Danish national team coach Jon Dahl Tomasson.
In the Nations League premiere away against Azerbaijan (3–1), Isak scored two goals, Gyökeres one. When Estonia was defeated on Strawberry Arena in Solna on Sunday, 3–0 in the end, the goal distribution was reversed.
Kulusevski completes
Especially in the first half, Isak and Gyökeres did almost as they pleased with the Estonian defenders. Add a frequently brilliant Dejan Kulusevski right behind the two attackers, and you'll find much of the explanation for why Sweden went into halftime with a three-goal lead that could have been even bigger.
Sweden has dropped down to the C division in the Nations League, with low-ranked opponents as a result. How the attacking duo Isak/Gyökeres will fare against stronger nations remains to be seen. It's clear that they thrive together.
"Nose for goals"
He's very smart. He gets into the right areas, as we saw especially in the previous match (against Azerbaijan). He's fast, good with the ball, good at almost everything, says Gyökeres, who has started the season at home in Sporting with seven goals in four matches in the Portuguese league.
The appreciation is mutual.
Alexander Isak about Gyökeres:
Viktor is physically stronger and faster, but still good with the ball for that type of player. He's good at driving the ball, has a nose for goals, is a very good finisher and at positioning himself, says Isak.
Sweden's Nations League adventure continues with away matches against Slovakia and Estonia in October.