Last Saturday, one of the most important Allsvenskan games of the year was played between Malmo FF and Djurgardens IF at the Stadion. This match was a potential title-decider as Djurgårdens were the top of the league before the game with Malmö three points behind. If Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men won it, Di blåe would gain the upper hand in the title race.
Malmö tried very hard to revenge their 1-3 loss in spring, but after wasting several good chances, they let Djurgårdens came back in a sloppy set-plays defending. This tactical analysis will focus on the key tactics of the game, as the hosts were very good at beating the press.
Lineups
Despite losing 0-3 to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, Tomasson could not make huge changes as many players were away. Bonke Innocent was dropped to the bench as Adi Nalic returned to the team. They reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, Ismael Diawara made way for Johan Dahlin, and Søren Rieks missed the game due to injury.
Djurgårdens did not have European competition in the midweek. Kim Bergstrand and Thomas Lagerlöf also played a strong eleven, despite Karl Holmberg was missing. Joel Asoro was given the chance to start with Edward Chilufya and Haris Radetinac; Nicklas Bärkroth remained on the bench and entered in the latter stage of the game.
