Kim Hellberg Tactics At IFK Värnamo 2022 – The Allsvenskan’s Tactically Sophisticated Newcomer

Want to attend an IFK Värnamo home match?

You’ll have to be one of the first 5,000 people at the gate. With the second smallest stadium in the Swedish Allsvenskan (by 500 seats), the club celebrates 110 years in 2022.

Managed by the 34-year-old Kim Hellberg, Värnamo is also the club of David Selini, our former colleague and first signing for Total Football Analysis (you can find his tactical analysis articles here), who assists Hellberg.

Värnamo may be a recently promoted side, however, their playing is anything but. Rather than a passive, timid side that absorbs pressure, they’re a high-pressing, line-breaking club with innovative tactics. Just before the latest break, they collected seven points in four games.

This scout report will look at the data behind Värnamo’s season and then take a closer look at the club’s tactics through in-game examples.

IFK Värnamo and Allsvenskan data

Lets start this analysis with a quick look at Värnamos data relative to their Allsvenskan opponents. Looking at the table, Värnamo currently sits in 12th place with 12 points. Comparing reality to expected stats, their performances warrant an xPoints of 15.6, good enough for 7th in the league.

The next data visual looks specifically at their goals for and against, both their actual total and the expected values. Additionally, since Värnamo is among the league leaders in interceptions and defensive duels per 90 minutes, which aligns with this analysis, we also have visual representations of those numbers.

For the season, Värnamo has 11 goals to their name and 12 against. Comparing that to expected totals, the club has an xG of 14.68 and xGA of 12.14. While their goals against are right where they should be, there is some underperformance in front of the goal. The positive though is that they are finding their opportunities in front of the net.