The national team year is over, the Dane's first year on the job ended with what he calls "championship football". Group win, 6-0 against Azerbaijan and 19 goals scored in six matches in the Nations League.
In February, he stepped in as the man with the mission to fundamentally change national team football.
If you summarize your first year, how was it?
One is always curious and a little uncertain, as one is when starting a new job or starting in a new class. We have talked about going through three phases, he says and breaks them down.
- Getting to know each other.
Getting to know the player and the person behind so that they can perform according to the principles we play by.
- Continuing to develop the offensive game.
Entertaining with style and at the same time winning matches. When it comes down to it, that's what it's all about.
"Very ambitious"
Next year awaits phase 3.
The World Championship qualifiers. We know it's extremely difficult to qualify for the World Championship. But we are very ambitious.
The World Championship qualifiers will be drawn on December 13. Sweden will either end up in a group of four teams or in one with five teams.
There is a high chance that we will end up in a five-team group. But it doesn't matter if it's four or five, he says.
How far do you think you can go with this team, these players?
Continuing forward is a good start. We can go far, we have a lot of potential, to a hundred percent. Then there's something called luck too. It's a lot about timing in football.
Hunger in the team
The players push each other, we have tough competition, we have hunger. We can't have players who aren't hungry. The spirit and atmosphere in the squad are excellent. You never win anything if the spirit in the squad isn't good.
Tomasson emphasizes the importance of having access to the trio Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, and Alexander Isak. He calls them world-class players, but he is also careful to praise the rest of the team.
Their efforts, work ethic, intensity. They are big players, but I also want to give a compliment to the others in the team who put these players in such good opportunities. The team wins the ball, plays it quickly forward, and creates opportunities for these three world stars.
What do you say about Viktor Gyökeres and his four goals?
One word. Brilliant.
