The National Team Captain: "Sweden's Offense Impresses"

Estonia's national team captain Jürgen Henn has studied Sweden's match against Slovakia. He cannot hide a certain admiration in his voice when he says: I believe it's difficult for any team to defend against such an offensive game.

» Published:

The National Team Captain: "Sweden's Offense Impresses"
Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/ TT

Share this article

The meeting with Sweden at Lilleküla in Tallinn on Monday evening will be the fourth in competition context – last year's European Championship qualifying, this year Nations League – in just over a year.

It hasn't gone so well for the Estonians, if you put it that way. 0–5, 0–2, 0–3. For those who don't count quickly, that's ten conceded goals and not a single one scored.

So is Henn sending in his team with those dismal figures? Hardly, according to the new national team captain. He has the same mission as his colleague Jon Dahl Tomasson. Rebuild, build new, build for successes somewhere in the future.

And it will take time.

The conditions differ drastically, but you can only work with what you have.

"Very important result"

Henn and his players enjoyed a step in the right direction over the weekend. The 3–1 win against Azerbaijan on Friday felt good – and for many reasons.

For us, it was very important to take a step in our development. It was, you could say, the start of how we want to play. Just considering that, but also because we need to take points, it was a very important result for us.

He is impressed by Sweden under Jon Dahl Tomasson. Here are some impressions from the 0–3 loss in September:

Sweden showed the ability to get the most out of their best players in their positions and on the areas they played. It was a big lesson for us to learn and it's something we really need to try to handle.

Quick turnaround

From Sweden's 2–2 in Bratislava, he notes:

A match at high tempo. An offensive Sweden that quickly switches to attack. I think it's difficult for any team to defend against such an offensive game.

Defender and former AIK player Karol Mets doesn't make a big deal of Sweden lacking Alexander Isak.

We don't attach any importance to it since Sweden has so many other offensively skilled players. We need to focus on how we collectively defend ourselves against a team with so many high-quality players.

Friday's 3–1 win gave confidence.

Absolutely. Our goal is to stay in the C division and that's why the result was very important for us. We're trying to crawl out of the bad periods we had with a series of bad results, says Mets.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Record Crowd Witnesses Norwegian Victory as Angeldahl Scores for Real Madrid

Record Crowd Witnesses Norwegian Victory as Angeldahl Scores for Real Madrid

Felicia Schröder's Late Goal Secures Draw for Häcken Against Atlético

Felicia Schröder's Late Goal Secures Draw for Häcken Against Atlético

Vingegaard Nears Victory in Tour of Spain Amid Protests and Arrests

Vingegaard Nears Victory in Tour of Spain Amid Protests and Arrests

Ice Hockey Player Sentenced for Assaulting Referee in Sweden

Ice Hockey Player Sentenced for Assaulting Referee in Sweden

Jacob Josefson Returns to Hockey After Four-Year Hiatus

Jacob Josefson Returns to Hockey After Four-Year Hiatus

Ludvig Åberg Shares Lead at Stormy Wentworth PGA Championship

Ludvig Åberg Shares Lead at Stormy Wentworth PGA Championship

Axnér Extends Contract with Swedish Women's Handball Team Through 2028

Axnér Extends Contract with Swedish Women's Handball Team Through 2028

Chelsea Faces Investigation for 74 Rule Breaches by FA

Chelsea Faces Investigation for 74 Rule Breaches by FA

Athletics World Championship Begins in Tokyo as Duplantis Seeks Qualification

Athletics World Championship Begins in Tokyo as Duplantis Seeks Qualification

Daniel Kindberg Joins Ukrainian Army Amid Legal Battle

Daniel Kindberg Joins Ukrainian Army Amid Legal Battle

Anton Källberg Exits WTT Champions Macao in Round of Sixteen

Anton Källberg Exits WTT Champions Macao in Round of Sixteen

Swedish Star Felix Claar Shines in Magdeburg's Champions League Win

Swedish Star Felix Claar Shines in Magdeburg's Champions League Win

Duplantis Faces Challenge from Karalis Ahead of Tokyo World Championship

Duplantis Faces Challenge from Karalis Ahead of Tokyo World Championship

Diribe Welteji Faces Potential Ban from World Championship in Tokyo

Diribe Welteji Faces Potential Ban from World Championship in Tokyo

SHL Clubs See 102 Million Kronor Rise in Salary Costs

SHL Clubs See 102 Million Kronor Rise in Salary Costs

Germany's Stunning Three-Pointer Secures European Championship Semifinal Spot

Germany's Stunning Three-Pointer Secures European Championship Semifinal Spot

Christian Eriksen Joins Wolfsburg After Training with Malmö FF

Christian Eriksen Joins Wolfsburg After Training with Malmö FF

Färjestad Secures First SDHL Win Against HV71

Färjestad Secures First SDHL Win Against HV71

Hammarby Fined 220,000 Kronor for Pyrotechnics in UEFA Match

Hammarby Fined 220,000 Kronor for Pyrotechnics in UEFA Match

Ben Proud Joins Enhanced Games After Olympic Silver in Paris

Ben Proud Joins Enhanced Games After Olympic Silver in Paris