On Thursday, all of Sweden will have had their eyes fixated on the friendly against Portugal, as Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and his teammates had their first game for Sweden under new manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
The former Blackburn boss replaced Janne Andersson, who stepped down after a terrible Euros qualifying campaign, and is trying to implement a very different style of football to his predecessor, which is going to take some getting used to.
That’s what the Newcastle striker said after the 5-2 defeat, where he was playing in a very different position to normal, floating around without a set role, which he explained to Sportbladet.
Asked if he felt that there was a chance of him getting a bit lost without set and clear instructions from his manager, the Newcastle forward explained all that’s needed is time.
He added: “I wouldn’t say lost, but it’s clear that it will be a bit new and maybe not 100% comfortable in the first match. Hopefully it will be in the next game.”
As for the team, who are being asked to press very high up the pitch and get at their opponents early, that will also require some getting used to.
Isak said: “He has high demands on us and really wants us to play offensive football. It won’t be easy and will require a lot from us.”
At club level, the Sweden international is having a decent season with Newcastle United, having scored 16 goals in 30 appearances to date under Eddie Howe, which is an improvement on last year’s tally of 11 in 29.
