Gais remain without a victory this season after a 0-0 draw at home against Mjällby. The result leaves Gais in last place in Allsvenskan, having failed to win any of their opening four matches. According to historical records, the club has not won a season opener since 2022.
Head coach Fredrik Holmberg made defensive changes to the lineup, with Anes Cardaklija and Filip Beckman starting as center-backs, as reported by Göteborgs-Posten. Oskar Ågren and Robin Frej began the match on the bench. Ågren was substituted in as a defensive midfielder, replacing Joackim Fagerjord.
Fun to play today, we found out five minutes before the gathering that it was me and him who would play, we said during warm-up that today we will go out and show. We have played a lot in U19, fun to do an Allsvenskan match together.
After the match, Holmberg joked about turning Ågren into a new Andrea Pirlo, according to Göteborgs-Posten. Cardaklija compared Ågren's performance to Sergio Busquets, saying he was class and displayed a bit of Sergio Busquets. Cardaklija added that Ågren is faster than both Busquets and Pirlo. Fagerjord also agreed with the Pirlo comparison jokingly, describing Ågren's performance as good, stable, and with a bit of Pirlo in him.
Ågren, however, downplayed the comparisons. According to Göteborgs-Posten, he said the Pirlo train has unfortunately left and explained that he stepped in because Fagerjord could not play two full matches in a week. Ågren added that he still sees himself primarily as a center-back, but will play wherever the team needs him.
He was class! It was a bit of Sergio Busquets there. It was fun to see, he could play forward and backward. He left some space for me to run forward.
Looking ahead, Gais will face IFK Göteborg in a derby on Sunday. Holmberg described the squad selection for that match as one of the toughest he has experienced, according to Expressen Sport. It remains unclear whether Ågren will continue in the defensive midfield role or if other players are being considered. The exact nature of the selection difficulty and the length of Kevin Holmén's injury absence are also unknown.
Pirlo? Yes, he was also slow. Ågren is faster than both Busquets and Pirlo.