Hammarby's season began with a 3-0 win over Mjällby AIF, followed by a 0-2 loss to IK Sirius. The team also won their Swedish Cup group against Brage, Örebro, and Öster, but lost to Sirius on penalties in the semifinal. With eight points, Hammarby shares the tally with Västerås SK and sits third in the standings.
In the derby, Karlsson left Nikola Vasic and Elohim Kaboré on the bench for the entire match. He explained that Abraham had a complex role as a number nine in attack and a number eight in defense, a task few strikers can handle. According to Karlsson, Abraham ran over 13 kilometers in the derby and can cover 14 kilometers per match.
I understand the question comes, it's natural. I would have asked the same if I were sitting in the stands. It's a bit more complicated when you know the whole picture.
Substituting Abraham would have required changing the team structure, which did not work well against Halmstads BK. Karlsson considered substituting Abraham but kept him because he had previously decided the cup derby against Djurgården and was threatening the opponent's backline with energy left. Karlsson also kept Nahir Besara on the pitch because he had scored and is a derby king, according to a single source.
The coach considered bringing in Frank Junior Adjei earlier but did not due to momentum after the first half; a planned substitution around the 60th minute was delayed when Oscar Johansson Schellas, who was to be replaced, assisted the equalizer, as reported by one outlet. According to Fotbolltransfers, Karlsson described Abraham as the one others need to catch up to, having been incredibly good in training. He also said Vasic has had a positive curve during pre-season and scored against Seattle.
Paulos Abraham had a very complex role in this match. He was a number 9 in attack and a number 8 in defense. Not many number 9s can handle that role. He does because he can run 14 kilometers per match, I think he ran over 13 in the derby. That's hard for other number 9s to do.
Karlsson noted that Noah Persson did not start the first two league matches due to tactical reasons, and described Frederik Winther as a different player type than Persson, more suited to a back three. Karlsson stated that Dennis Collander's contract is expiring and he would not comment further. Karlsson praised upcoming opponents Sirius as a very, very good team with a starting eleven at the level of the best teams in the league, citing threats such as speed, good one-on-one players, Robbie Ure, and a stable backline.
He noted that Västerås SK is best in the league on set pieces so far. Karlsson said Mikkel Ladefoged was too good for the Superettan and is not surprised by his goal scoring. For the cup quarterfinal against Djurgården, Karlsson emphasized that defensive play and transitional defense would be key, and described Bo Hegland as a skilled player who gives Djurgården good dynamics in attack.
If we had made that shift then we would have had to change the structure. We did that against Halmstads BK, then Niko came in as a number 9 and other players had to take over the tasks that Paulos had. It didn't turn out so well, that was in the calculation.
According to Fotbollskanalen, TV4 expert Alexander Axén said he reads between the lines that Karlsson is not satisfied with Noah Persson's defensive play. Axén also said Hammarby is somewhere in between in what they want to do and it does not sit perfectly for a new coach, but added that the team is functioning and Karlsson only needs to refine, not fix anything.
Plus I thought he was the one threatening Djurgården behind the backline, dropping off, he was hard to pick up and won free kicks for us. He had energy left.
We were about to substitute him when he got a little pain, but then it turned out he got a clearance between his legs and it released.
We considered bringing in power up front and then it was Paulos or Nahir Besara that we could take out, since we had substituted both wingers. And I wanted to keep Paulos on the pitch based on the complex role he had, then I could have substituted Nahir instead. But Nahir had scored, he can decide derbies and has done it before, he can decide the match with a smart pass or finish.
We considered it but didn't do it because I thought we had momentum after the first 45 minutes. Then in the second half we had prepared a substitution earlier where Frank would come in around the 60th minute. But then Oscar Johansson Schellas, who we planned to substitute, was behind the equalizer. He had that brilliant release and also the assist and then...
My hope is that he is ready for 90 minutes as soon as possible. But I see it as unlikely that he is already on Monday.
Paulos had a very strong autumn and the way he has looked in training, he is the one the others need to catch up to. I know it has been reported that Paulos has been good in training, but I think it has been an understatement. He has been incredibly good in training.
Niko has had a positive curve during pre-season. He scored against Seattle and I think he makes progress all the time. But you have to understand that he has been away from playing matches for a very long time. It's natural that he will have a process to get back to the form he has been in.
We always pick the team we think has the greatest chance to win the match. Against Mjällby there were tactical reasons, we did well there. There were tactical reasons against Sirius. Then there are new matches ahead and we'll see what decisions we make in those matches.
Winther is a completely different player type than Noah Persson. Winther and Pinas have qualities where you push into the backline when building with three. Winther also has those qualities while Noah is more a player who pushes along the edge, so it's clear that it becomes a choice based on what we put together in other positions.
It's a very, very good team. It's a team that has put together a very sharp starting eleven, which I think holds the same level as the best teams in the league.
They have different types of threats: speed, good one-on-one players, they have (Robbie) Ure who can create problems in different ways, and they have a stable backline now too. A very, very good team that I expect will be at the absolute top.
They are best there in the Allsvenskan so far and have a lot of height in the penalty area, as well as good delivery in there, so we need to be careful there. It's also a team that has a high defensive line and is capable of disturbing many opponents.
Definitely. We got a player to Västerås who was too good to land in the Superettan. The reason we got him was, as always, many circumstances. He had been injured and outside the team. There were many such signings that we fished into VSK at that time. He was in a tough situation when we brought him in, so we had timing to get him in. Otherwise, that was not a player who would land in the Superettan.
He scored ten goals in 15 matches and was brutally good during the autumn. I think I also said in interviews before this season that VSK has a number 9 who will definitely score goals in the Allsvenskan, so I'm not surprised.
It becomes a little extra with meeting players and leaders in a club where I've been for many years, but I haven't thought about it that much. Usually it's focus on the match you have. It will feel a little extra when it actually is and the match is going on.
For me, reading between the lines, he is not satisfied with Noah Persson's defensive play and therefore he has not played the big matches. On the other hand, he can easily fly forward on the wing against the other teams. Then he has chosen to play like that. Then it's towards that direction (3-4-3).
He (Karlsson) says they hit too few crosses. Besara says they hit too many crosses. It's because they are somewhere in between in what they want to do and in what way. It hasn't been many matches and it doesn't sit perfectly for a new coach, regardless of team. It's extremely difficult.
But Hammarby is functioning and he doesn't need to fix anything. He only needs to refine. But if it starts to go a bit poorly for a couple of matches, he will think 'wait, I want to do it my way and not what I really believe in'. As it is now, it's a bit of a self-playing piano. They don't need to stress.
It's clear that now we have faced three teams from the Superettan in the group and it's clear that it becomes a bit more that we need to take certain parts into account when we face more qualified opposition.
The defensive play. Now we will face a team that has the ability to push us down sometimes.
Super important. They are very good in transitions. So that is a key for us.
He is good at finding spaces and is mobile. There is no doubt that it is a skilled player. He gives the team good dynamics in their attacking play with being good at finding spaces in front of the opponent's backline.