How Häcken’s build-up play and defensive discipline has them at the top of the Allsvenskan – tactical analysis

Häcken entered the international break on the back of a five-game winning streak which propelled them to the summit of the Swedish Allsvenskan. The Gothenburg sides impressive form includes wins over AIK and last season’s Champions League group stage participants Malmö.

The Wasps are managed by Former Djurgårdens and Norway national team manager Per-Mathias Høgmo. This will be Høgmo’s first full season in charge having been appointed in June 2021. With a 12th placed finish to last season, Häcken’s form has improved greatly this year. They are just two wins away from equaling their win total from the whole of the 2021 campaign.

This analysis will be presented in the form of a scout report focusing on Häcken’s build-up play and how they press from a mid-block. In this tactical analysis, we analyse the key tactics behind Häcken’s meteoric rise to the top of the league.

Statistical analysis

The above image shows the Allsvenskans top players for league ‘goals and assists’, ‘expected goals and assists’, and ‘goals’.  Häcken’s number ‘9’ Alexander Jeremejeff leads the way on all three and is a key reason for the success of his side this year. With 10 goals the former 2. Bundesliga striker is just one shy of his league total from last year.

As a team, Häcken have scored 22 goals, the most in the division, and have an xG for 21.82 goals. This means they are scoring as many goals as the quality of their chances deserves. The only team with a higher xG is AIK who, with an xG of 22.30 and only 17 goals scored, are underperforming their xG by 5.3 goals.

Häcken