Johansson, who plays for Stoke in the English second league, is after last year's fine performances in the Nations League back as the first goalkeeper in the national team, next against Switzerland in the World Championship qualifying at home on Friday.
Alexander Bernhardsson got trust from the start against both Slovenia and Kosovo in September.
And when Jordan Larsson got injured, Jon Dahl Tomasson called a 27-year-old who scores goals for Darmstadt in the same series.
The latest came over the weekend, in the 1–1 match against Bernhardsson's Holstein Kiel in the German second division,
In the squad
Already then, Lidberg knew he was relevant for the World Championship qualifying squad.
I was in the squad, but not selected. We talked a bit after the match. I said good luck in the matches and so on. Very nice guy, says Isac Lidberg.
The message came a day later.
I was in Frankfurt with my wife and shopped a bit. I saw that it was a Dutch number that called and then I understood that it was him, says the striker about the call with Tomasson.
Lidberg, childhood friend and classmate of Viktor Gyökeres, leads the top scorer league with eight goals in as many matches.
Darmstadt is third in the series, on a qualifying spot.
It has gone well, both for me and the team. The balls are rolling in. You have to take the opportunity to enjoy. It doesn't always do that.
Last season, he scored 14 balls in 28 matches, a record that could have been even more successful if he hadn't been plagued by an injury.
Aiming upwards
Then Isac Lidberg got to make his national team debut in the Nations League finale against Azerbaijan. About the chances of getting to play against Switzerland or Kosovo (in Gothenburg on Monday) he says:
You have to be prepared if you get to come in. Do it with energy and do what you're good at.
Lidberg's contract with Darmstadt expires in the summer of 2027. Several clubs showed interest last summer, including he received a fat offer from an Egyptian club, but Darmstadt did not want to sell. He hopes to play in the top division Bundesliga next season. If not with Darmstadt, then somewhere else.
Money is important, but it's not everything. I'm most keen on the Bundesliga. I thrive very well in Germany. The playing style suits me. Open football, a lot of offense. And I thrive well in the country, he says.
