Sebastian Holmén got into a sliding tackle in the closing stages of the Europa League opener against AZ Alkmaar and was sent off in goal. This means that he is now suspended when Elfsborg host AS Roma at Borås Arena this evening.
Oscar Hiljemark thus needs to find a solution for how he will manage without the player who was perhaps the team’s most important player this year against a team that finished sixth in Serie A last season.
– First of all, it is sad for Sebastian not to experience a match like this. We go in to do everything we can to win the match against Roma here at home, says Hiljemark.
Elfsborg’s training the day before the match was closed, but there are many indications that Terry Yegbe, Gustav Henriksson and Ibrahim Buhari will form the back line against Roma and that the trio will be flanked by Simon Hedlund and Niklas Hult on the wings.
– Of course it affects my thoughts and ideas that Sebastian is gone, and there will be some structural things that will differ, of course. He is a different type of player compared to the others and things will be adapted based on that, says Oscar Hiljemark.
In addition to Sebastian Holmén, all players are available for the match, according to Hiljemark.
Sebastian Holmén.
Photo: JÖRGEN JARNBERGER / BILDBYRÅN
Hiljemark’s former coach has taken over
Roma recently sacked Daniele De Rossi, 41, after a poor start to the season and replaced him with Ivan Jurić, 49.
Oscar Hiljemark has a good grasp of the Croatian because he had him as a coach in Genoa.
– Now that they have changed coaches, the structure of the game has changed a bit, but I had Ivan myself at Genoa for three years and fortunately I remember a lot of what he is like as a coach. It was a special period for me as a player, but instructive now in retrospect when I am a coach, says Hiljemark and continues:
– He is a good football coach who has a clear idea and thought about how he wants to play football. We spent a few years together and experienced both ups and downs. I think it will be a happy reunion.
Have you had any contact since your time together?
– No.
Hiljemark obviously hopes to take advantage of having played in a Jurić-coached team.
– The way it looks in their matches right now, it’s probably the same ideas and thoughts that have been refined, but then it’s always influenced by the players you have as well. But the actual idea and structure is very similar.
Roma coach Ivan Jurić.
Photo: ANTONIETTA BALDASSARRE / INSIDEFOT / SHUTTERSTOCK
“Can’t just snap my fingers”
Elfsborg lost the Europa League opener against AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands 3–2. What was the Borås’ main lesson from that match?
– That small details matter. Missed passes and poor individual interventions are punished more severely at the European top level than in the Allsvenskan. It was a good lesson for everyone. But football is a special and great game, it’s eleven against eleven, and I think we can surprise and match most teams as long as we have one of our good days – which I certainly hope we have now, says Elfsborg’s manager.
How to remove individual mistakes?
– These are lessons learned. Sometimes mistakes happen in football, everyone can make mistakes, it’s part of the game – but then maybe it’s more obvious at this level where it’s punished a lot more. But it’s not something you can just snap your fingers and remove. You have to learn to be focused in every second of the match.
Hiljemark notes that the meeting with Roma will be a big challenge for both him and the players.
– It will be a good test. For us, it will mean less time with the ball, more one-on-one situations and that we have to be there both offensively and defensively. Then there are physical parameters as well. It will be a good challenge, he says.
The match between Elfsborg and Roma kicks off at 9pm on Thursday evening. Around 700 Roma supporters are expected to attend the match.
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