The Newcastle player is only focused on one thing: winning matches. What is happening around him, what is important, what conditions exist – Anthony Elanga does not notice that.
That's why he was surprised when he joined the national team in Marbella.
Only then did he find out that Sweden would most likely play in the playoffs for the World Cup in March – despite the weak results in the World Cup qualifiers.
After the Kosovo game, I was only thinking about the next two games. And when I came here, I found out about this opportunity.
“Just want to win”
Do you know why the opportunity exists?
Because we won the Nations League.
You're not keeping up with what's going on?
No, I just want to win the games. After the Kosovo game, I knew that we would have a good chance of qualifying, if we win these two games and finish second. That was all I was thinking about.
I didn't know that we could still qualify if we finished third or fourth.
What was it like to find out about it?
Very nice.
Elanga wants to put the terrible start to qualifying behind them. A new start awaits under Graham Potter's direction.
"I just want to look forward," he says.
Don't remember
Elanga is said to have been very upset after the 0–1 loss to Kosovo and is said to have said in the players' tunnel: "This fucking system has to go." A clear expression of dissatisfaction with how the national team played under Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Words he doesn't want to know right now.
I don't remember if I said it. A lot was said, a lot happened, we lost the game. I don't think it was the system that was wrong, it was us who didn't play well. You can talk about the system, but it's what you do on the pitch that decides. Attitude, the will to win, to really have the hunger to get to the World Cup. That's the most important thing.
Under Potter, Sweden will have a 4–4–2 tactical system as its basis.
What does Potter focus on during training?
Right now it's about giving us the right conditions. Making it simple and clear for us to understand how to play, says Elanga.
What went wrong?
There is a lot to say, but what has happened has happened. We must look forward, change, make it better.
What?
All.
Sweden's next match is the away match against Switzerland on Saturday, and then the qualifying group ends at home against Slovenia on Tuesday. The national team has one point after four matches and is last in the group.
