After the derby loss against Hammarby, Djurgården cleared the air considerably.
Magnus Eriksson also invited the players home for a team evening.
– It felt like we needed it, says the team captain.
Djurgården has had a difficult start to the season and stood on ten points – a whopping 14 behind Malmö FF – before the match against Mjällby. After last weekend’s derby loss against Hammarby, the players and managers had a big talk at Kaknäs.
– You have to start somewhere. I think we all did it after the Bajen match to come together. The whole team did something this week and we have talked to each other in training. All players, managers, sporting director, Henke (Berggren, CEO). We have raised the things we want to raise, both from the players’ and coaches’ point of view. This is a good start to a turnaround for me, says Victor Edvardsen after the 2-0 victory against Mjällby.
The team captain Magnus Eriksson also invited the players home to bring the team closer together.
– It felt like we needed it. We had a nice evening, watched some CL and cooked together in the kitchen. Even the roommate was satisfied because it was cleaned when you arrived, he says and continues:
– We also have extreme demands on ourselves, not only that it comes from outside. There are a lot of young players and a lot of new ones and it is a group that needs to be formed as well. Djurgården has been very successful for some time and you may have felt this pressure. But we are strong and played a good match against a tough Mjällby today, so that’s good.
“Gives a lot”
Edvardsen thinks it’s good that the team is starting to do things together again. It’s something the striker has missed this season.
– We need to find our way back a bit to this “go” we had last year. When we made things up together and were out hunting for victories. You don’t have to do the worst thing, but you can come up with something small. In some of the matches we won this year, we tried to come up with something, but then there are 4-5 guys who are hungry. Last year there were 20 old men from here and you saw each other in town. If we can find our way back to that and that energy and contribute with the little we can, it gives a lot.
Last year, Magnus Eriksson had an appreciated summer party at his home. He promises to have that this year as well.
– It has been close at hand with matches and perhaps not the time to go out. Now summer begins. We had some events last year that were very successful and appreciated and we will have that this year as well. Then the boys will be allowed to come to my house for a summer party as well when there is time for it, so this will be good, he says.
After the victory against Mjällby, Djurgården is sixth in the Allsvenskan, twelve points behind Malmö.
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