Sjor Bepo VS Sweden 1948-58 - NT peak draft

[Annahnomoss]

Tactics:
Last time i had Hidegkuti the team was built around him and we lost as people assumed that Sammer would stop him completely, fair enough. This time i went another route as we decided to implement Nandor into a team that suits him but this time we decided to build within a philosophy(God that word is ruined after Louie) rather then focus on individual players. Movement, technical ability, selflessness, work-rate, football brain are the ingredients we were looking for and what we believe are most important to have in a quality possession style tactic. All the while, the defense is extremely strong which provided us a quality base to build on.


Without the ball


High press. The front four will press highly while the midfield duo would use their high footballing intelligence to decide when to join them and when to stay and offer protection. If the latter happens it wont be an issue as both players played in similar setups where they defended in a group of six.
For Julinho id admit, never watched the guy play and i dont know enough to say if he is suited or not for that specific task but for other 3 im completely sure. Both Cubillas and Hidegkuti di a fair share of defensive work for their teams and Iniesta excelled at both international and club level where his teams used a very similar approach.
Kaiser and Coluna offer everything we need, high footballing intelligence combined with a well rounded defensive game.
Behind the back 4 we have one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time in his natural keeper sweeper role, in front of him we have 2 of the best defenders from South America in Don Elias and Jose Nasazzi. On the left next to Don Elias so he can lead him through the game we have russian sensation from Euro 2008 Yuri Zhirkov in his wingback role while on the right is mister perfect - Philipp Lahm.


With the ball


Pretty balanced side that is capable of playing free flowing short passing game as well as going very direct.
We have one of two players always offering width, on the left they are Zhirkov and Iniesta who dominated the Euro's in the same role. On the right we have a more traditional combination in Lahm and Julinho. Lahm will mostly stay back, which means he wont be spending much time in the final third but he would be very much involved in the build up with his passing range and ability to combine with others in tight spaces.

Back then, both Kaiser and Coluna mostly had one or two that would combine with them while others play it very direct, you can only imagine how good would Kaiser look in a more modern team where most players are willing to combine with others while in 66' he mostly only had Uwe Seeler.
Kaiser loved to play one two and a modern pass and move game, in fact he dominated opponents with it so we decided to create "one two heaven" and surround him with others that also loved to play the "right" way.
There is no need to write anything about Andres, we all know everything.

On the right there is Julinho, player that introduced himself to the world with his performance at World Cup in 54' which earned him a move to Fiorentina where he is considered the best player in history of the club even though he spent only 3 seasons with them. One of the great tragedies of Julinho's international career was the fact that in the 1950s, most South American national teams did not select their foreign-based players. However, Brazil asked Julinho to return to the national team for the World Cuo Finals in 1958. They even suggested that he would meet them in Europe after they arrived for the World Cup Finals. However, Julinho did not want to take a spot of a regular player who fought the World Cup qualifiers and the buildup and tuned the invitation down. He is considered as the best right winger brazil has produced after Jairzinho and Garrincha.

For Cubillas we decided to use the youngest version, 1970 World Cup where he played more like an inside forward then like an attacking midfielder. Keept it simple most of the time even though he played with some special gems in terms of footballing IQ and thats not a compliment. Pass and move, quality on the ball, work-rate and goal threat made him the perfect player for this version of our attack.

Every orchestra needs a conductor to truly bring the best out of its musicians. The brilliant Mighty Magyars had Nándor Hidegkuti and we will have Nándor Hidegkuti. At first we picked him as a sub as i didnt know he was that good at WC but after watching the highlights of every game he became the most secure player in the lineup, specially after i watched Peru vs Brazil in 70' WC and saw Cubillas fits like a glove.
Player Profiles:

Spoiler

Franz Beckenbauer

World Cup 1966

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot
FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Silver Medal

Profile:

Before he earned the nickname Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer was tipped for great things as West Germany prepared for 1966. The Bayern Munich player had made his international debut less than a year earlier but had already established himself in Helmut Schon's first team. Beckenbauer was still three months shy of his 21st birthday when Germany's campaign got underway at Hillsborough on July 12, 1966.
The young Kaiser made an immediate impact, scoring twice in the 5-0 romp over neighbours Switzerland. He'd add another in the 4-0 quarter-final win against Uruguay before scoring the priceless winner in the semi-final against the Soviet Union.
Beckenbauer's galloping runs became a hallmark of West Germany's charge to the final. His second against Switzerland was a fine example as he escaped three Swiss players to coolly slot home with all the confidence of a striker. Then there was the fabulous one-two which set up his goal against Uruguay but the pick of the bunch came in the semi-final when he seized the ball on the edge of the box and quickly switched feet before unleashing a rocket which beat the great black cat Lev Yashin.
The Germans had fallen at the final hurdle, lost to England in the extra time but Beckenbauer had a notable tournament, finishing tied for third on the list of top scorers—from a non-attacking position. The team returned to a heroes' welcome in their homeland.


Elias Figueroa

World Cup 1974

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Group Stage

Profile:

Luckily drawn two german sides in a group of four while the tournaments is taking place in Germany. At the end was elected as the best central defender of the tournament, despite Chile's poor performance in the competition. Team conceded only 2 goals in those 3 games and of those 2 one was a long ranger from Breitner and the second one was a gk mistake. Team defended very well in all 3 games lead by Don Elias who specially impressed against West Germans where he completely stopped one of the best strikers in history of the game in Gerd Muller.

Andres Iniesta

Euro 2012

Individual Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament
UEFA Euro Final Man of the Match
UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Gold Medal

Profile:

First it was Andrés Iniesta versus Italy, then it was Andrés Iniesta versus Croatia. One man taking on two entire teams: two virtually identical photographs that seemed to define him, revealing the respect and the fear that he provokes in opponents.
Opponents look for him, surrounding him. Team-mates look to him, too. Vicente del Bosque has an almost allergic aversion to singling out players or elevating anyone above the others. So it means something when he says, as he did before Spain's second game: "Hopefully Andrés can be decisive – as he always is."
...and as expected, Andres didnt dissappoint. Finished the tournament strongly, voted best player of the tournament and MOTM of the final.

Luis Figo

World Cup 2006

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Wooden Medal

Profile:

Figo captained the squad during the 2006 World Cup, leading the team to the semi-finals. With three wins, Portugal finished top of their group and qualified for the knock-out rounds with Mexico. They advanced past the Netherlands in the last 16, and defeated England on penalties in the quarter-final. Figo did not take part in the shootout, having been substituted for Helder Postiga. In the semi-final, Portugal were beaten by France courtesy of a penalty from his former club-mate and French captain Zinedine Zidane. This was Portugal's best finish in 40 years. The third place playoff caused some controversy as Figo did not start; Pauleta captained the team in his place. However, Portugal fell behind 2–0 to hosts Germany and Figo replaced Pauleta in the 77th minute, who handed him back the captain's armband to cheers from both Portuguese and German fans. Although Germany scored another goal shortly after Figo's entrance, he ended his final cap for his country on a high note by setting up Nuno Gomes to head in an 88th-minute consolation goal.
Despite having no trophies to show for the "Golden Generation," Figo managed to captain the team to their best World Cup performance since the Eusebio era in 1966.


Philipp Lahm

World Cup 2014

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Castrol Index All-Star Team

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Gold Medal

Profile:

Started the tournament as a defensive midfielder but when staff got serious he was moved back into his natural position. In next 300 minutes of football the team conceded only one goal and that one came in the last minute of the game while they were leading 0:7 against the home side Brazil. In the end Lahm was named on the 10-man shortlist for FIFA's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.

Mario Coluna

World Cup 1966

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Bronze Medal

Profile:

Mario Coluna was one of the world's most influential and comprehensively gifted midfielders throughout the 1960s, majestically bestriding the European football scene as captain of Benfica and Portugal, operating for both club and country as the ideal foil for the revered Eusebio. Though he was not a tall man, the muscular Coluna exuded an aura of effortless command, combining formidable physical authority with an elegant style and delightfully subtle skills which seemed somehow unexpected in one so powerful.
His best performance came at the 1966 World Cup in England, when he captained 'Os Madriços' to third place, coming agonisingly close to glory.

Jose Nasazzi

Copa America 1923
Olympics 1924

Individual Accomplishments:

Copa America Player of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

Copa America Gold Medal
Olympic Gold Medal

Profile:

Nasazzi is regarded by many as Uruguay's greatest ever football player. In 1923 he lead his country to became the champions of South America which qualified them for the Olympics next year which they also won in similar fashion. At Copa they conceded 1 goal in 3 games as Nasazzi marshaled his way to the Golden Ball Award which is pretty special as he is only the third defender that had that honour in 100 years of the tournament and he won it twice!
At Olympics they walked through the tournament and won it easily, conceding only two goals in 5 games.

Gabriel Batistuta

Copa America 1991

Individual Accomplishments:

Copa America Golden Boot

Team Accomplishments:

Copa America Gold Medal

Profile:

In 1991, Batistuta was selected to play for Argentina in the Copa America held in Chile, where he finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals as Argentina romped to victory and the post Maradona era started with a bang.
The nation reinstated the philosophy of teamwork in the beautiful game, and Gabriel Batistuta earned himself a move to Florence after his exploits in the tournament caught the eye of Vittorio Cecchi Gori, then the Vice President of Fiorentina. Gori immediately signed the new international star to bolster his attack, the rest is history....

Lev Yashin

Euro 1960

Individual Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Gold Medal

Profile:

Yashin known as the ‘Blacks Spider’, was the team’s heart and soul at the 1960 tournament. When Lev Yashin covered the goal, not a pinhole was left open. This giant with long spidery arms always dressed in black and played with elegance and expressed gestures, marshaling his back four. He liked to stop thundering blasts with a single hand that stopped any shot, while his body remained motionless like a rock. Yashin, who was 30 years old at the time, then started to show his excellence by making a series of fine saves, highlighted by keeping out Kostić’s thunderous goal-bound free kick, to keep his team in the game.
Yashin would always organize the defensive game of his team, often so fiercely that even his wife accused him of yelling too much on the pitch. He seldom captained his teams, even though the custom of appointing a goalkeeper captain was virtually unheard-of in that era, but his leadership on the field was always evident.

Yuri Zhirkov

Euro 2008

Individual Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

UEFA Euro Semi-Finals

Profile:

Yuri Zhirkov was one of the great revelations of Russia’s team, which earned him a well-deserved spot on the Team of the Tournament and the award as Russia’s best footballer in 2008. The former winger was great on the left back where his marauding runs from deep were a huge part of Russia's success and his performances later earned him a move to Chelsea.

Nandor Hidegkuti

World Cup 1954

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Silver Medal

Profile:

Hidegkuti played throughout the 1954 World Cup and scored four times, including one goal in the brilliant semi-final with Uruguay. His entire club career was spent in Hungary so he never gained the same headlines at Barcelona and Real Madrid that Kocsis and Puskás achieved after defection.
Former England and Leeds United manager, Don Revie paid tribute to the influence of Hidegkuti in his autobiography: "In the summer of 1954 England and Scotland were knocked out of the World Cup series in Switzerland. That competition was won by Germany, but dominated by Hungary, who played with a deep-lying centre forward, Nandor Hidegkuti. Alongside him; Sandor Koscis and Ferenc Puskas, two of the greatest inside-forwards in the world. But whatever people claim of Koscis and Puskas, it was the man Hidegkuti who tore the England defence to shreds at Wembley in November 1953. It was Hidegkuti, again playing his hide-and-seek centre-forward game, who shattered England in the return match in Budapest in May 1954, when we were thrashed 7-1."
Every orchestra needs a conductor to truly bring the best out of its musicians. The brilliant Mighty Magyars had Nándor Hidegkuti.

Alain Giresse

World Cup 1982

Individual Accomplishments:



Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Wooden Medal

Profile:

Giresse was considered by both Cruyff and Kaizer (and Castrol Ranking) as the best player of 82' - but he didnt get much recognition, and even in the Golden Ball he was only 7th:


Julinho Botelho

Individual Accomplishments:


Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals

Profile:

"The man who shut up Maracanã" - considered to be one of the greatest wingers in the history of football, and the best right winger Brazil has produced after Garrincha and Jairzinho - Julinho was a technically gifted, powerful, tricky, goalscoring winger with remarkable dribbling skills - in typical Brazilian mold. One of the great tragedies of Julinho's international career was the fact that in the 1950s, most South American national teams did not select their foreign-based players. However, Brazil asked Julinho to return to the national team for the World Cuo Finals in 1958. They even suggested that he would meet them in Europe after they arrived for the World Cup Finals. However, Julinho did not want to take a spot of a regular player who fought the World Cup qualifiers and the buildup and tuned the invitation down. If he had taken the spot, Brazil would have dropped Garrincha, who was the backup right wing leading up to the World Cup Finals. The rest as they say is history - Garrincha ascended to godly status in Julinho's right forward role - and Julinho could only play a leading part in the 1954 World Cup (with the likes of Didi, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos) - scoring 2 goals before losing to Puskás's Magyars in the quarterfinal - a match dubbed the Battle of Bern where 3 players were sent off. Consequently, he missed out on Brazil's era of great success with the 1958 and 1962 World Cups - sandwiched between the heartbreak of 1950 - which became immortalized in wider public consciousness. At club level, Julinho played for Juventus and Portuguesa; and after joining Fiorentina was fundamental for the team to conquer their first Scudetto, apart from reaching the European Cup final vs Di Stéfano's Madrid.

Toefilo Cubillas

FIFA World Cup 1970

Individual Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot

Team Accomplishments:

FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals

Profile:

Cubillas helped Peru advance to the quarter-finals of the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He scored in all of Peru's four matches: once against Bulgaria, twice against Morocco, and once against West Germany, all in the first round. Cubillas then scored another goal in the quarter-final loss against eventual champions Brazil, and he thus finished as the third highest goal scorer in the tournament.
He won the FIFA World Cup Young Player of the Tournament Award, and was third in the Golden Shoe award.

 

[Annahnomoss]

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--------------------Team Sjor Bepo/Physio
-------------------------------VS
----------------------------------------Sweden 1948-58

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-------Player Profile----------------------------Player Profile----------------------------Player Profile-
--- Best left winger 1958-----------------.---Top Scorer 1948---------------------Best right winger 1958-----
-----1 goal 3 assists--------------------------------7 goals-------------------------------4 goals 3 assists58---
-------------------------

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-
---------------------------------Player Profile---------------------Player Profile
------------------------Dominant performance '48-------Dominant performance '48
-------------------------------------2 goals-----------------------------3 goals
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--------------------------------Player Profile----------------------Player Profile
---------------------------Deep lying playmaker---------Team Captain and Destroyer
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-

-

--------------------Player Profile--------------Player Profile--------------Player Profile
-----------------Best left back 1950--------Best Stopper 1958---------Best right back 1958
--------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------- Player Profile
Back up formation.jpg

Spoiler

 

[Annahnomoss]

Formation: 3-2-2-3 / WM
Manager: George Raynor
Ass. Manager: Putte Kock
Achievements: Olympic Gold '48, World Cup Bronze '50, Olympic Bronze '52, World Cup Silver '58
Tactics

This is a blend of the miraculous 1948 winners who scored 22 goals in 4 games and conceded just 3. The central core of Berggren, Andersson and Grenoli destroyed anything that stood in their path - expectedly, as they were three of the very best players in football at the time.

Liedholm described it "The ball didn't touch the ground a single time. Gren played it to me, me straight to Nordahl who played it to Gren, who found me and then I found Nordahl who scored on the volley. That's how we played."

With massive improvements from the 1958 side where team of the tournament defenders Bergmark and Gustavsson steps in at the back. The only weakness of the '48 side were the wingers, and here we have replaced them with Hamrin and Skoglund who together scored 5 goals and assisted 6.

Two of the greater wingers of all time who both had legendary performances in 1958, with Skoglund being part of the team of the tournament and Hamrin challenging as one of the very best players of the tournament.

Defense
As the team lost the ball a sort of chaotic/individual press was established to force a longer pass. As the opponents made the pass it was up to the defenders to push forward aggressively and win the ball back or at least force a weak first touch to win the second ball back. Simple to say but hard to execute and Raynor must have done a great job to make it work so well with so many different players featuring over his years.

The rest of the team would help out in winning the second ball and if the opponents established an attack the midfield square would become almost flat, but centralized, at the edge of the box.

Against Soviet in '58 they did this to perfection as wave after wave of Soviet attacks were shut down in that simple way. The physical defenders managed to mix it with an excellent reading of the game to know the exact moment when to push forward.

The weakness of it was certainly exposed when they faced Pele in the final of '58. Even obstructed by a strong tackle he had the balance, strength and first touch to not lose the ball every time.

Even if the ball was bouncing around he still managed to pull of some spectacular numbers to get past the defenders himself or set up a teammate.

Offense
Offensively the '48 team was led by Liedholm and Gren who in their peak stormed back and forth like an offensive box to box. Almost every single attack ended with both Gren and Liedholm inside the box next to Nordahl. Hamrin and Skoglund are the ideal wingers to have next to them. Neither was a ball hugger and instead they were used with making off the ball runs to stay in the play when they didn't have the ball.

Skoglund was an entertaining flair player, but he combined that dribbling and pace with a love for inch perfect crosses and passes. Not only will "The Bison" Nordahl absolutely thrive on that, but so will Hamrin who world class at finding space in the box as well and score goals.

With Liedholm and Gren entering the box as well, you realize why Grenoli scored ridiculous amounts. Liedholm and Gren weren't your typical central playmakers, they had a directness and dribbling of absolute world class. They received the ball and instantly challenged the defenders or midfielders just to breeze past them to force the defender to step up, with Nordahl making a run in to the space, and then either they found Nordahl or just beat another man for a goal.

Ruthlessly offensive with no regards to the scoreline and they wouldn't stop or go easy on you because they were 3-0 up. Which Serie A winners of 1949, Juventus, got to experience in a 6-0 demolision by the Grenoli trio. Milan scored 118 goals that season, 71 of those came at the hands of the Swedes alone, more than fourth placed Lazio did as a team. The two midfielders scored 18 each, together they averaged a goal every game and Nordahl did the same from upfront alone.

The fact that both Gren and Liedholm could play further back and their work rate meant they still just conceded 2 more than Juventus, the best defensive side that year.

But this came with a price like against Inter where they lost a 5-4 game after a big lead as their ruthless offensive could cost them as well.

Nordahl was his usual self as he was the top scorer of the '48 tournament and scored almost two goals per game in average. While Liedholm and Gren were the flawless dribbling playmakers who together scored a goal per game in average through the tournament. And the trio with dominance took Sweden through some of the top teams of the era like Austria 0-3 Sweden, Yugoslavia 1-3 and third place finisher Denmark (2-4) who beat Italy and Great Britain.

This team has everything, two world class playmakers in Gren and Liedholm, both excelling at penetrative shorter passes. While Liedholm and Sune Andersson had a fantastic passing range and could switch the side or find a Bison on the run with ease over the defensive line.

Bian Rosengren will be the destroyer of the team and the team captain just like he was in '48. While the defensive trio will remain purely defensive in supportive positions.

This game would go back and forth all night and that is exactly the style that this team excelled at playing.

The Story
The phrase ‘the greatest manager England never had’ is one most commonly associated with the great Brian Clough, but a man equally deserving of the title, if not more so, is one George Raynor. In a journey that took him from Aldershot Reserve’s to a World Cup final in little over a decade, Raynor is one of the most successful international football managers of all-time. Like so many great managers, he had a playing career which did little to point towards greatness. Playing non-league football until the age of 23, he got his break at Sheffield United in 1930 but failed to break through, going on to play for a string of lower league sides before having his career cut short by the war. Three years after the war was over, Raynor had managed Sweden to Olympic Gold, and 10 years after that, he was taking charge of a team in a World Cup final.

Born in Hoyland Common, Yorkshire, 7 miles from Barnsley on the 13th of January 1907, Raynor was a miner’s son. His first venture into the game came whilst he was still a teenager, when he began playing for Elsecar Bible Class. A short and pacy player, Raynor had been a sprinter in his school years, and although he had desires to play as a centre-forward, he spent his entire career on the right wing due to his lack of height, standing at just 5 feet and 7 inches.

He continued to shuffle around the non-league’s until the age of 23, when he was picked up by Sheffield United whilst playing for Wombwell FC in 1930. In almost two years at Bramall Lane, Raynor made only one senior first team appearance. He had failed to break through and never got a chance in the top division again. His career lasted another 7 years, taking him to Mansfield, Rotherham, Bury and Aldershot.

Raynor’s unspectacular career came to an early end with the outbreak of the Second World War. Having joined Aldershot in 1938, he played only in the truncated 1938/39 season, which saw Aldershot finish 10th in the Third Division South, marking the end of Raynor’s 9 year career in the professional game at the age of 32. The FA requested that all footballers who did not seek active service sign up to become physical training instructors, better known as PTI’s, so this is what Raynor did. He was posted to Iraq, where he worked as a fitness instructor in Baghdad.

It was in Iraq that Raynor got his first taste of management. Along with a fellow teacher, he got together a group of students to create a team and tour neighbouring states. The team, which became something of an ‘Iraq XI’, played fixtures between 1943 and 1945, over a decade before Iraq would eventually become affiliated with the FA and play their first official fixture in 1957. Raynor’s work in Iraq did not go unnoticed. FA Secretary Stanley Rous took great interest in the Yorkshireman’s work in Western Asia, a contact that would be crucial to his future success.

Upon his return to Britain, Raynor had his eyes set upon coaching and management. Aged 38, he rejoined the setup at Aldershot, taking the role as manager of the club’s reserve team. He spent a year in the job, but all the while pestered Stanley Rous to give him a reference. When the future FIFA President finally did so, he was recommended to the Swedish FA, who took him on a six-month trial. An intensely determined character, Raynor was somewhat volatile at times and a maverick in coaching terms. His trial period was a success, and – sufficiently impressed – Sweden offered him the job full-time.

Whilst one should not and ought not to detract from the remarkable achievements of Raynor, it is fair to say he could not have wished to take over the Swedish national team at a better time. He inherited a young, hungry, and most importantly, very talented crop of Swedish footballers. Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm, better known as Gre-No-Li, the three stars of the Swedish team, were all in their mid-20’s when Raynor took the job, and just approaching their prime years. All three went on to have enormous success in Italy with AC Milan, Nordahl in particular remains the league’s third highest goal scorer of all-time with by far the best goals/game ratio of any player with more than 150 goals in the league; whilst highly talented youngsters such as Lennart Skogland would soon emerge on the scene.

Just a year into the job came the first big test of Raynor’s reign, a friendly against England at Highbury. Sweden gave England a real scare on home soil, with Gren and Nordahl both getting on the scoresheet in an eventual 4-2 defeat to the hosts, as Stan Mortensen bagged a hat-trick. A year later and a sterner test still, in the form of Raynor’s first competition as Sweden coach, the 1948 Olympic Games in London. His assistant manager, Putte Kock, had tasted success in the Olympics as a player, a bronze medalist in 1924 and named in the Team of the Tournament.

-------------------------------1948 Olympics


Between them, Raynor and Kock made the decision to have a big tactical switch prior to the tournament. Moving key man Nils Liedholm, one of the teams renowned attacking threats as part of the Gre-No-Li trio into defensive midfield alongside Kjell Rosen, where it was hoped he would both sure-up the side defensively and still act as an attacking threat as a deep-lying playmaker.

From his book "Bollen och jag":
"You should play low in your wide role, in the no mans land" clarified Raynor in his broken Swedish. "Garvis will make runs out wide in the space that comes up from that."

It worked; on their way to winning gold, Sweden scored 22 goals and conceded only 3 in 4 games, against Austria, South Korea, Denmark and Yugoslavia. It was considered a magnificent achievement, Raynor had won Sweden their first Olympic Gold in football, and as of today their last, he also remains the last Englishman to manage a team to Olympic footballing glory.


Sweden 3–0 Austria
Gunnar Nordahl (2'), Gunnar Nordahl (10'), Rosén (71')
2 August 1948
White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Sweden: Lindberg, K. Nordahl, Nilsson, Rosengren, B. Nordahl, Andersson, Rosén, Gren, G. Nordahl, Carlsson, Liedholm
Austria: Pelikan, Kowanz, Happel, Mikolasch, Ocwirk, Joksch, Melchio, Habitz, Epp, Hahnemann, Koerner
Attendance: 9,514
Referee: William Ling, Great Britain

The task was still a daunting one, and few gave the Swedes much hope of winning their first-round match against Austria, particularly as the Austrians had bent the rules slightly by including well-known players like Ernst Ocwirk who had played professionally. But two early goals from Nordahl set Sweden on their way to a 3-0 victory, and the crowd left White Hart Lane singing the praises of Raynor’s team.

Sweden 12–0 South Korea
Liedholm (11', 62'), G. Nordahl (25', 40', 78', 80'), Gren (27'), Carlsson(61', 64', 82'), Rosén(72', 85)
5 August 1948
Selhurst Park, South Norwood
Sweden: Lindberg, K. Nordahl, Nilsson, Rosengren, B. Nordahl, Andersson, Rosén, Gren, G. Nordahl, Carlsson, Liedholm
South Korea: Hong, Pak, Pak, Cha, Kim, Min, Woo, Bai, Chung, Kim, Yung
Attendance: 7,110
Referee: Giuseppe Carpani, Italy

Next they faced South Korea in the quarter-final at Selhurst Park, after the Koreans had pulled off a surprise 5-3 win over Mexico in the first round. The match was effectively over by half-time, as a goal apiece from Liedholm and Gren, plus a brace from Nordahl, gave Sweden a 4-0 lead. Yet the Swedes did not ease off in the second half, adding a further eight goals without reply – including another two for Nordahl – to seal a thumping 12-0 win.

Sweden 4–2 Denmark
Seebach (3'), Carlsson(18' 42'), Rosén(31', 37'), Hansen(77')
10 August 1948
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Sweden: Lindberg, K. Nordahl, Nilsson, Rosengren, B. Nordahl, Andersson, Rosén, Gren, G. Nordahl, Carlsson, Liedholm
Denmark: Nielsen, Jensen, Overgaard, Pilmark, Ornvold, Jensen, Ploger, Hansen, Praest, Hansen, Seebach
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Stanley Boardman, Great Britain

The semi-final, held at Wembley, presented a far tougher challenge in the form of rivals Denmark, who had dispatched Italy in the previous round. The Danes dominated the opening exchanges and took an early lead. Sweden found themselves with a chance to equalise after 18 minutes, but Nordahl was in an offside position as his team-mates surged forward. Realising he would not make it back onside quickly enough, the big centre-forward jumped into the goal (and therefore technically off the field of play), and Henry Carlsson’s header which sailed into the net along with him was allowed to stand. A resurgent Sweden followed this up with three further first-half goals, and Denmark could only muster a late consolation, leaving the final score at 4-2.

Sweden 3–1 Yugoslavia
Gren (24', 67' Penalty), Bobek(48'), Gunnar Nordahl(48')
13 August 1948
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Sweden: Lindberg, K. Nordahl, Nilsson, Rosengren, B. Nordahl, Andersson, Rosén, Gren, G. Nordahl, Carlsson, Liedholm
Yugoslavia: Lovric, Brozovic, Stankovic, Cajkovski, Jovanovic, Atanackovic, Cimermancic, Mitic, Bobek, Cajkovski, Vukas
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: William Ling, Great Britain

Yugoslavia awaited in the final, anticipating the stranglehold that Eastern Bloc countries would have over Olympic football in the coming years. The following eight tournaments were all won by Communist countries, as their players were classed as amateurs and given sham jobs by the state but allowed to train full-time. This pattern would only be broken in 1984 when professionals were finally allowed to compete. 60,000 fans packed into Wembley for the match, which took place immediately after Denmark had beaten Great Britain in the bronze medal match on the same ground. Sweden opened the scoring through Gren, but Yugoslavia equalised just before the break. Then, three minutes into the second half, Nordahl finished off a passing move that he had started himself back on the halfway line to put Sweden back in front. A Gren penalty made the scoreline 3-1, and that was how it finished.


Unsurprisingly, Sweden’s star men had caught the eye of scouts from countries with professional leagues, and so it was that Nordahl made the move to Milan. Arriving by train in January 1949, the reception he received in Milan was so frenzied – the train windows were reportedly smashed by over-eager supporters – that he hid out immediately in a hotel, fearing that he had made the wrong decision. Yet the transfer may never have happened were it not for a bizarre twist of fate. Milan had agreed to sign the Danish forward Johannes Pløger, who had netted in Denmark’s 5-3 defeat of Italy during the London games. Pløger was intercepted in Switzerland, however, by the manager of Juventus, who offered him a higher salary and convinced him to join the Turin club instead. Not long before, Juventus had expressed an interest in signing Nordahl and had received a telegram from the Swede indicating his willingness to join them, but the signing of Pløger put an end to that. All of this meant that Milan now found themselves without the Scandinavian striker they had expected, and Nordahl without the move to Italy he had been anticipating. Circumstances had conspired to bring them together, and so Nordahl found himself spearheading the AC Milan attack for the latter half of the 1948-49 season.

While Pløger struggled to make an impact in Turin (he would be shunted off to Novara just a few months later), Nordahl instantly continued his goalscoring exploits in Serie A. He notched 16 goals in 15 games, helping Milan to a third-placed finish behind Inter in second and champions Torino, who were the undisputed kings of Italian football at the time. Over the summer, Nordahl suggested to club president Toni Busini that they could be further improved by the addition of his two countrymen Liedholm and Gren, and by the appointment of Czeizler, his manager from Norrköping. These recommendations were swiftly acted upon, and the foundations were put in place for the ‘Gre-No-Li’ attack that would fire Milan to their first major success in almost half a century.


Liedholm and Gren arrived in Milan – accompanied by new Milan manager Czeizler – for the start of the 1949-50 season, at a time when Italian football was recovering from tragedy. Almost all the players of the great Torino side had died in the Superga air disaster that May, leaving a huge hole at the top of the Italian game. The two newly-signed Swedes made their Milan debuts in the first game of the season, away at Sampdoria, and their starring performances in a 3-1 Milan victory lifted the spectators’ spirits. One journalist at the game was so impressed by the displays of Liedholm and Gren that he compared the pair to Michelangelo and da Vinci.

Their early-season form was a little erratic, but by the time of the first Milan derby in early November, the club were level on points with third-placed Inter and four points behind leaders Juventus. A lightning start to the match saw Milan 4-1 up after just twenty minutes, with Liedholm and Nordahl both on the scoresheet. If Czeizler’s team were lethal going forward, though, it was not matched by solidity in defence, and Inter staged an incredible comeback to run out 6-5 winners. Renowned Italian football writer Gianni Brera pinned the blame for the defeat squarely on the Swedes, arguing that they ‘lacked tactical sense’, having continued to pour forward even when three goals up. One can imagine how harrowing the game must have been for Brera, who famously remarked that ‘the perfect game would end 0-0’.

Milan quickly recovered from this setback, however, winning 10 of their next 12 games to put themselves three points behind first-placed Juventus when the two sides met in Turin in February. Juve had triumphed 1-0 in the earlier meeting at the San Siro, and they took the lead in this encounter too, but they soon crumbled under the pressure of Milan’s relentless attacks. All three of the Swedish trio scored – with Nordahl bagging a hat-trick – as Milan routed the league leaders 7-1. Nordahl described the game years later as ‘the masterpiece of Gre-No-Li’ in which ‘we came close to perfection in our play’, adding that ‘it would be well worth the effort to do a film remake of that game in its entirety’. While Juventus may have lost the battle that day, they won the war by going on to secure the league title, finishing five points ahead of Milan in second. Nordahl was the league’s top scorer, with a record of 35 goals which has still not been matched in Serie A.

The following season, Milan picked up where they left off, winning their first 6 games and scoring 26 goals in the process. And this time they were able to achieve more consistency in their results, leading Serie A for the bulk of the season. The Swedes were integral to this success – as well as Nordahl’s goals, Milan benefitted greatly from Gren’s tactical know-how, which led to his nickname of ‘Il Professore’. Liedholm’s passing accuracy was also respected: he allegedly misplaced his first pass over a season into his Milan career, upon which the crowd broke out into applause which lasted for five minutes. The club’s strong form meant that victory in the final home game of the season, against Lazio, would guarantee the title ahead of nearest rivals Inter. Yet Lazio pulled off a surprise 2-1 win, leading to an agonizing wait in the dressing-room for confirmation of the score from Inter’s game away at Torino. Brera reported that club president Busini ‘fainted like a schoolgirl’ as he waited to hear the result. Then the news came through: Torino had beaten Inter 2-1, meaning that Milan could celebrate their first scudetto since 1907. Nordahl recalled how, in the scenes that followed, ‘the tifosi jumped over the stadium fences and joined us on the pitch, carrying us on their shoulders, crazy with joy’.

----------------1950 World Cup

Heading into the 1950 World Cup, Sweden had some of the most gifted players on the planet. At 29, 28 and 27 respectively, Gre-No-Li were all in their prime, and would have caused nightmares for any defence in the world. Sadly, with all three now at AC Milan, Sweden’s strict amateur-only policy meant the trio were not allowed to be part of Raynor’s squad for the tournament in Brazil. Despite being without his three best players, Raynor still managed to secure Sweden a place at the tournament.

An interesting historical portrait of exactly what this team was without its big name players. It was to be the tournament of Nacka Skoglund, Erik Nilsson with the likes of Hasse Jeppson and Sune Andersson making memorable marks as well.

India withdrew from the tournament and the Swedish group, but nonetheless they still had to fight off Italy and a mighty Paraguay side. Paraguay had finished second in the South American Championship two consecutive times just going in to the tournament, and they wanted more.


Sweden 3-2 Italy
Carapellese(7'), Jeppson(25', 68'), Andersson(33'), Muccinelli(75')
Estadio do Pacaembu, Sao Paulo
Sweden: Svensson, K. Nordahl, E. Nilsson, Samuelsson, Sundqvist, Andersson, Skoglund, Jeppson, Gård, Nilsson, Palmer
Italy: Sentimenti, Boniperti, Muccinelli, Annovazzi, Campatelli, Cappello, Carapellese, Furiassi, Giovannini, Magli, Parola
Attendance: 36,502
Referee: Jean Lutz(Switzerland)

Left with just defensive marshall Erik Nilsson and Nacka Skoglund as great players the odds weren't in the Swedes favours.

After just 7 minutes the disaster struck, the Italians breaks free on the right and finds Carapellese who converts the chance to make it 1-0. It took the Swedes until the 25th minute to get back in the game through a long shot from Hasse Jeppson.

Just some minutes after Skoglund gets space on the left, cuts inside and crosses the ball, for an easy Italian clearance - that ends up at the feet of Sune Andersson who hits it down the right corner from the keeper to make it 2-1.

The Italians start creating opportunities but fail to score on their chances much thanks to some great work from the Swedish keeper, Kalle Svensson. And not long after Hasse Jeppson is there on a rebound to make it 3-1. The game stayed tight with the Italians on the hunt for a goal - and it comes with 15 minutes to go through Muccinelli. But the Swedes hold out until the final whistle blows.

Sweden 2-2 Paraguay
Sundqvist(17'), Palmer(26'), Lopez(35'), Lopez Fretas(74')
Curitiba Durival de Brito
Sweden: Svensson, K. Nordahl, E. Nilsson, Samuelsson, Sundqvist, Andersson, Skoglund, Jeppson, Gård, Nilsson, Palmer
Paraguay: Vargas, Cantero, Cespedes, Gavilan, Gonzalez, Leguizamon, Lopez, Lopez Fretes, Unzain, Avalos, Jara Saguier
Attendance: 7.903
Referee: Mitchell Robert(Scotland)

Sweden relied like often under Raynor on forcing long passes from Paraguays defenders for Sweden to win the ball back quickly. With the wingers and forward closing in the defenders to start the sequence. 17 minutes in Sundqvist makes himself available from the cross coming from the right, it gets headed towards him and he makes no mistake in the finish. 1-0 to Sweden.

In the 26th minute Skoglund finds Palmer with a long pass and extends the lead to 2-0. Paraguay replies quickly through Lopez who goes on a dribbling raid through the Swedish defense and scores.

It takes until the 74th minute until Lopez Fretes evens the score. The match ends in a draw which means Sweden are through to the next stage. A final knock out group stage instead of the knock out matches.

Through to the final group stage are Zizinhos Brazil, Varelas Uruguay and Spain. Before the last two matches are played disaster struck as the star of the team, Nacka Skoglund, is kicked out of the team. A narrow 3-2 win for Uruguay lined them up for the tournament victory.

A Swedish side with their four best players outside of the team, finished 3rd, which is a remarkable achievement for a team with their best players. For one without them, it was something beyond that. Raynor and the players proved that they were one of the best sides in the world even without three of the very best players in the world at the time.



-----------------Olympics 1952

Sweden were again without their key players due to the strict restrictions by the time the 1952 Olympics came around.Yet Sweden beat Norway, Austria and Germany to claim bronze, Raynor’s second Olympic medal, but were powerless to stop the Magical Magyars at the height of their power. Hungary were simply irresistible. They cruised past every side who stood in their way on-route to winning gold, and Sweden were no exception, a 6-0 humiliation the final score, although Sweden still went on to beat Germany 2-0 only 4 days later.

Typically pragmatic and tactically astute, Raynor could see what went wrong in that game for Sweden. Whilst Hungary did have the best team in the world at that time, it was also their fluid style of play, creative outlets and early leaning’s towards total football which made them the force they were. When he faced the Hungarians again a year later, this time in Budapest, Raynor joked that he would paint the Stalin statue moustaches red should Sweden win the game. The Swedes earned themselves a hugely creditable 2-2 draw, against a Hungary side who were now unbeaten in 4 years, and Raynor’s side even hit the post in the final minute of the game.

Still with his heart set on domestic success and a future with the England team, Raynor took the opportunity to call the England manager Walter Winterbottom, and inform him of his method of success and what he had learned from playing the Hungarians, as England prepared to host Hungary in November. Raynor told Winterbottom that Nandor Hidegkuti was the linchpin to Hungary’s attack. Playing in a withdrawn role, he was the creative force of the team, and the only way to stop him without your defenders being drawn out of position was through man-marking him.

His suggestions were ignored, and borderline mocked. One FA member reportedly asked Raynor, “Can you really expect us to ask Stanley Matthews to track back?”. England lost the game 6-3, in what became known as ‘The Game of the Century’; Hidegkuti scored a hat-trick and baffled the England defence in the process. The return fixture was lost 7-1, Hidegkuti once more controlling the affair. Raynor would have to become used to being overlooked and ignored by England as his career progressed, regardless of the enormity of his success.

 

[Annahnomoss]

The 1958 World Cup will always go down as Raynor’s greatest success. He actually left Sweden in 1954, managing Lazio, Juventus and Coventry, before returning to the national team in 1956, in preparation for the country hosting the tournament two years later. A 36-year-old Gunnar Nordahl and 37-year-old Gunnar Gren had retired. Gren had become the manager of Örgryte and had only played four games between 56-58 before being asked to come back to the side. Another huge loss was that of Erik Nilsson, the great defender from 48-52 who had a major role in the remarkable all amateur double bronze achievement.

With Nordahl in retirement Grenoli had now became Gre-Li. 5 of Sweden’s squad plied their trade in Serie A, whilst the rest played in the domestic league. Although Nordahl would be missed, a 23-year-old Kurt Hamrin had arrived, with 20 caps to his name already, he was an established star.

By the time of the 1958 competition, however, which was staged on home soil in Sweden, the FA finally made the change to allow professionals. Going into the World Cup there was no doubt that the greatest strength the team had were the world class wingers in Hamrin and Skoglund.


---------------1958 World Cup

Swedens matches

Group stage
Mexico-Sweden 0-3 (0-1)
0-1 Agne Simonsson (16'), 0-2 Nils Liedholm (57', penalty), 0-3 Agne Simonsson (64').
8 june 1958
Råsunda, Solna
Sweden: Svensson - Bergmark, Axbom - Liedholm, Gustavsson, Parling - Hamrin, Mellberg, Simonsson, Gren, Skoglund
Mexico: Carbajal - del Muro, Villegas - Portugal, Romo, Flores - Hernandez, Reyes, Calderon, Gutierrez, Sesma.
Attendance: 34.107
Referee: Nikolaj Latysjev, Sovjetunionen


The spectacle started with a show from the Royal Airforce, 250 folk dancers and a speech from the king. The Swedish team had already tired from the isolated life in the football camp and were eager to play.

The start of the match was careful and nervous from both the audience and the players. Mexico was considered Swedens "must win" game but they knew little about them except from the fact that they had showed great technical skills during their training.

After 15 minutes, the best player of the match, Nacka Skoglund found Agne Simonsson with a pass and Sweden took the lead. In the second half the nerves were as good as gone and Sweden started to dominate the game. Mexico were creating little but the Swedes inability to finish of their chances kept the Mexicans in the game.

If it wasn't for that Sweden should have scored almost the double. The magical wingers turned out to be the match winners as Kurt Hamrin is fouled in the area. Liedholm scored the penalty but it had to be repeated, but as expected he shows no nerves and hits it in the same spot twice, beating the keeper again making it 2-0.

The third goal was a copy of the first, Nacka dribbles his way down the left wing and finds Simonsson again who makes it 3-0 which turns out to be the end result.


Sweden-Hungary 2-1 (1-0)
1-0 Kurt Hamrin (34'), 2-0 Kurt Hamrin (55'), 2-1 Lajos Tichy (86').
12 juni 1958
Råsunda, Solna
Sweden: Svensson - Bergmark, Axbom - Liedholm, Gustavsson, Parling - Hamrin, Mellberg, Simonsson, Gren, Skoglund.
Ungern: Grosics - Matray, Sarosi - Szojka, Sipos, Berendi - Sandor, Tichy, Bozsik, Bundszsak, Fenyvesi.
Attendance: 38.850
Referee: John Mowat, Skottland

The Mighty Magyar era had ended with the Soviet invasion of '56 as they lost Puskas, Kocsis and Czibor. This Hungary had just made it through the qualifiers and the big fall meant there were little expectations on them.

Sweden again started cautiously but dominated most of the play. Kurt Hamrin with his great shot scored two from outside of the box. Suddenly the Hungarians found their motivation and started taking over. The Swedish defense were constantly asked questions through out the game and the goalkeeper, Kalle Svensson, had to make several great saves.

Hungary got their reward in the end in the 86th minute to make it 2-1 and then Parling went on to score 3-1 for Sweden, but it was incorrectly disallowed. After two wins, with just one more game to go Sweden were already ready for the knock outs.


Sweden-Wales 0-0
15 juni 1958
Råsunda, Solna
Sweden: Svensson - Bergmark, Axbom - Börjesson, Gustavsson, Parling - Berndtsson, Selmosson, Källgren, Löfgren, Skoglund.
Wales: Kelsey - Williams, Hopkins - Sullivan, Mel Charles, Bowen - Vernon, Hewitt, John Charles, Allchurch, Jones.
Attendance: 29.800
Referee: Lucien van Nuffel, Belgien

For Sweden it was a nothing game and five changes were made in the first eleven. A tame game saw a superior Sweden have the slight edge in terms of chances but again lacked the sharpness to kill the game.

Wales had to win to secure their place in the knock out stages but failed to and instead had to face Hungary in a play-off game for 2nd place in the group.

Quarter finals
Sweden-Soviet 2-0 (0-0)
1-0 Kurt Hamrin (49'), 2-0 Agne Simonsson (88')
19 juni 1958
Råsunda, Solna
Sweden: 1 Svensson - 2 Bergmark, 3 Axbom - 15 Börjesson, 14 Gustavsson, 6 Parling - 7 Hamrin, 8 Gren, 9 Simonsson, 4 Liedholm, 11 Skoglund.
Soviet: 1 Yashin - 2 Kessarev, 4 Kusnetsov - 5 Voinov, 3 Kriyevski, 16 Tsarev - 17 A. Ivanov, 8 V. Ivanov, 9 Simonyan, 10 Salnikov, 11 Ilyon.
Attendance: 31.900
Referee: Reginald J Leafe, England

Sweden were expecting and hoping to face England, who surprisingly lost their play off game against Soviet. Soviet were the nightmare opponents for Sweden at the time with stars like Yashin and Ivanov leading the team.

A heavy rainstorm meant a lot of people stayed at home to watch the game and it was an even but excellent first half. The Swedish defense and half backs were playing at the top of their game and were awarded with 10/10's after the game.

As the second half started the Swedes were playing mesmerizing football, one of their best games in years. Samba combinations from Simonsson, Hamrin and Gren turned the Soviet team inside out and 1-0 soon followed by Hamrin. Basically every Swede was playing at the top of their game and the mightiest of them all, Yashin, saw himself beaten once more as Simonsson made it 2-0 to close out the game.


Semifinal
Sweden-West Germany 3-1 (1-1)
0-1 Hans Schäfer (24'), 1-1 Lennart Skoglund (33'), 2-1 Gunnar Gren (82'), 3-1 Kurt Hamrin (89')
24 juni 1958
Ullevi, Göteborg
Sweden: 1Svensson - 2 Bergmark, 3 Axbom - 15 Börjesson, 14 Gustavsson, 6 Parling - 7 Hamrin, 8 Gren, 9 Simonsson, 4 Liedholm, 11 Skoglund.
West Germany: 1 Herkenrath - 7 Stollenwerk, 3 Juskowiak - 4 Eckel, 2 Erhardt, 6 Szymaniak - 8 Rahn, 9 Walter, 12 Seeler, 11 Schäfer, 14 Cieslarczyk.
Attendance: 51.500
Referee: Istvan Zsolt, Ungern

A match between three of the best wingers of the era in Rahn, Skoglund and Hamrin as well as a central clash of some true legends like Gren, Liedholm against Walter, Szymaniak, Schäfer and a young Seeler.

It meant complete football fever in Sweden and the tickets were expensive. The exact attendance will never be known as several hundreds ticket less Germans were let inside for free. The Germans were reigning champions and were a feared and physical side.

Sweden were off to a great start but the Germans showed resilience as they kept the clean sheet. And after 24 minutes they scored after a fantastic counter attack from Seeler who served Hans Schäfer who finished with a great shot.

The Swedes showed mental strength as they continued to attack and not many minutes after the Germans goal, Nacka was free with the keeper and missed. Just after that he redeems himself by scoring the equalizer after a pass from Liedholm. Suddenly the game was even and the Germans had worked their way back in to the game until the 62nd minute. The German left back Erich Juskowiak was shown the red after kicking Hamrin and Schäfer and Walter had to pull him out from the pitch.

It didn't stop the Germans from creating chances and just as Walter had to recover, for 10 minutes, from a challenge from Parling the Swedes scored the 2-1 goal. Nacka won the ball on his own half and made a 30 meters run then passed it to Hamrin, who found Gren who with a vicious shot beat the German keeper. It would have been legendary, if it wasn't for that goal from Hamrin.

Back home in Germany the people were understandably angry after the game as they felt the referee wasn't just and that the Swedish fans were too loud. The German team however wished the Swedes good luck in the final.



Final
Brazil-Sweden 5-2 (2-1)
0-1 Nils Liedholm (4'), 1-1 Vava (9'), 2-1 Vava (31'), 3-1 Pelé (55'), 4-1 Zagallo (68'), 4-2 Agne Simonsson (80'), 5-2 Pelé (90')
29 juni 1958
Råsunda, Solna
Sweden: 1 Karl Svensson - 2 Orvar Bergmark, 3 Sven Axbom - 15 Reino Börjesson, 14 Bengt Gustavsson, 6 Sigvard Parling - 7 Kurt Hamrin, 8 Gunnar Gren, 9 Agne Simonsson, 4 Nils Liedholm, 11 Lennart Skoglund.
Brazil: 3 Gylmar - 4 Djalma dos Santos, 12 Nilton dos Santos - 19 Zito, 2 Bellini, 15 Orlando - 11 Garrincha, 6 Didi, 20 Vava, 10 Pelé, 7 Mario Zagallo.
Attendance: 49.737
Referee: Maurice Guigue, Frankrike

After a day of rain before the match the Swedes had hope that an early goal would have the Brazilians losing it. And after just 4 minutes the Swedes took the lead after a wondergoal from Liedholm and surely that would be exactly what it should take to see the Brazilians trumble.

Turned out it wasn't, little did they know at the time but this Brazil team were more than great they were a legendary side in the making. One of the very best teams in history was just about to start their era of domination.

Two goals from Vava and Pele and one each for Simonsson and Zagallo would follow. Brazil had dominated the game and put on such a show that afterwards they were applauded by the Swedish fans as they celebrated the victory.


After that Raynor left Sweden having taken charge of the country in four major tournaments, the 1948 Olympics, the 1950 World Cup, the 1952 Olympics and the 1958 World Cup. The worst Sweden ever did under Raynor’s stewardship was finish third. He is ranked by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful international football manager of all-time. There could be no finer indication of the difference between Raynor’s global reputation and his domestic reputation than what happened upon his return. Having taken an unfancied Sweden to a World Cup final, months later he took charge of non-league Skegness Town.

He had been convinced his World Cup success would earn him the recognition of those in the game in England, and most importantly the FA, but it did not. He became increasingly bitter, and with good reason too. In 1959, he took charge of Sweden for a one-off game against England at Wembley. He won the game 3-2. The comedy of Raynor having had to take a sabbatical from Skegness Town to oversee only England’s third ever defeat at Wembley was lost on most.

He told reporters that night, “I got some sort of satisfaction out of the result but not enough. I would much rather have been doing the same sort of thing for the country of my birth. All I consider is that the people in England have had their chance. I want to work in England, for England. They want me in Ghana, in Israel, in Mexico and in Sweden. I am a knight in Sweden and have a huge gold medal of thanks from King Gustaf. I have a letter of thanks and commendation from the Prime Minister of Iraq. My record as a coach is the best in the world. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I live for football.”

 

[Annahnomoss]

Gunnar ''Il Bisonte" Nordahl
Position: Striker
Height: 1.80m (5’11”)
Weight: 92 kg (209 lbs.)
Achievements: 9x Top scorer of the league
Allsvenskan - 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948
Serie A - 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954 1955
Olympic Gold & Top scorer 1948
Swedish Footballer of the year 1947
Serie A - 1950-51, 1954-55
Latin Cup - 1950-51, 1955-56
Record holder as Serie A Top scorer (x5)

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------
Club------------504-----------422--------
Sweden--------33------------43---------

Peak Statistics - 1947-51
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------Goals per game
Club------------121-----------109-------- 0.90
Sweden--------16------------28----------1.75
Total-----------137-----------137---------1.00

In his peak between 47-51(26-31 yo) Nordahl was maybe the greatest player in football, arguably the player of the year in '48 with the Olympics gold win as the top scorer, after just having won the Swedish league as the top scorer.

Just to move to Milan and score 16 goals in 15 league games to set the bar for his legendary Milan career.

49-50 - Again, the top scorer in Serie A with his 35 goals in 37 matches. Which had some of the best players in the world. One of the best players in the world as an individual but they failed to win anything as it was the first season for Grenoli to gel together with Milan.

In 50-51 he was also the stand out player of the year with Liedholm/Gren as he for the second consecutive time was the top scorer in Serie A with 34 goals in 37 matches and Milan won the league as well as the Latin Cup, the forerunner to the European Cup, in a historically domininant fashion.

After a 4-1 win against the Spanish champions they faced the French in the final where Nordahl with a hat-trick showed his brilliance, in what would be a 5-0 win to Milan. Certainly deserving of the Ballon with Liedholm had it existed that year.

Style of play

Record holder as the top scorer in Serie A after being the top scorer 5 times in just 6 seasons, which should be impossible as he went to Milan aged 27.

Technically limited but he epitomized the role of a poacher with some of the best natural goalscoring instincts football has ever seen. Accustomed of working against a packed defense, heavily outnumbered, yet he always read the balls trajectory and managed to be at the end of it whether it took a bounce on a defender or his teammate along the way.

He combined that predatory instinct with being able to finish with his first touch with both feet with equal ease. Half chances wasn't part of his vocabulary as he was a true master of scoring ugly goals. He struck half volleys, tap ins, volleys and off balance shots with pin point precision and if a ball wasn't perfectly cleared he had a knack for getting a toe on it and turning it to a goal.

What he lacked technically he made up for with an electric acceleration and good pace which he used to constantly beat the defenders and break free towards goal. Rarely dropping deep or standing still and instead almost solely focused on being a nuisance centrally.

Weighing in at 92 kg, his physical game earned him the nickname "Il Bisonte". Once in a game against Napoli the defender grabbed his jersey, but Nordahl dragged him along for nearly two dozen feet and scored a goal.

Inside the area he was a one man army battering ram and dominated the aerial duels and bullied the most fierce defenders with his strength. He didn't play ugly or foul but he made sure to enter every challenge at full intensity with all 92 kg of his body. Often knocking down the defenders to the ground as he won the 50-50 duels.

But he wasn't just a six-yard box poacher, he also packed a powerful shot for just outside the box that would punch a hole in the air as it rippled the net. He also had an understanding with Gren and Liedholm that surpassed their individual abilities.

With "Il Bisonte" inside the area and Gren and Liedholm making runs in to it the opponents defenders were often left short. Which meant he also played a major part in the 36 goals that Liedholm and Gren scored in one season in 49-50. Either from bullying his defenders with his strengths to set up a storming Gren/Liedholm.

Or from occupying several defenders on his own to create space for Liedholm and Gren. He was also more than capable of linking up with the two or lead the attack through carrying the ball forward at full speed.

Defensively as the team lost the ball his job under Raynor in particular was to press the defender in to making a long pass. Something far from the later tactical pressing and more like individual pressing from the wingers and forward.

Information

During this International break, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at a Milan legend who gave up his right to represent his country in order to sign with Milan. If you’ve ever heard of the epic Gre-No-Li trio, he was the “No” in the Gre-No-Li. He is also the only player still to have won the capoconnoniere (top scorer) title five times in Serie A. So many goals, so many records, from such humble beginnings. Like other legendary players and coaches, Gunnar Nordahl is permanently etched into Milan history. In fact, he is known in Serie A as “Il Cannoniere,” or the gunner.

A giant of a man, a legend of a player


His national team career may have been cut short by ridiculous laws, but his statue in Sweden shows his value even today

It was at this point that Milan came calling for the robust 1.81m (5’11”) and 92 kg (209 lbs.) scoring machine. His size made him as feared as his skills, he was a danger in the air, was brilliant at scoring on the volley, as well as tap-ins and easy goals. But due to his size, he would become known as il Bisonte (the bison) in Italy. However, first he had to navigate Swedish laws, which may have been trickier than the toughest defense to unlock and allow him to play in Italy. Additionally, he would have to give up his chance to represent the Swedish national team anymore. This after 43 goals in 33 caps for Sweden. That includes helping lead Sweden to victory in the 1948 Olympics alongside two of his brothers, where he was also awarded the title of top scorer for that tournament.

Italy was different. Milan offered him a luxuriously furnished apartment in the heart of Milan, but instead he chose a simple, modest one on the outskirts of the city. When his teammates showed up for his first function in the most stylish suits of the day with luxury watches and nice shoes, he showed up in an inexpensive shirt and trousers. He was concerned about being able to fit into that world, but on the pitch it was no problem at all.


The legendary Swedish Milan trio: Gre-No-Li

In his first 15 games with Milan, he scored 16 goals, which led Milan to renegotiate and give him a better contract after only six months. Additionally, upon his recommendation, they would sign Swedish teammates Gunnar Gren and Niels Liedholm, who also forfeited their chance to represent Sweden anymore in order to help Milan win two Scudetti, in 1951 and 1955. Nordahl was capocannoniere in 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. He still holds the record for the most Serie A goals scored post-war, with 35 goals in the 1949-50 season.

After his time at Milan, he went to Roma, where he played for two years and then stayed on for another year as a player-manager. Counting the goals he scored at Roma, he is the third highest all-time Serie A scorer, behind Silvio Piola and Francesco Totti, the latter of whom just passed him in 2012. Nordahl’s 210 goals scored in just seven years in Serie A has left his mark indelibly on Italy, and he is also AC Milan’s all time highest scorer, with 221 total goals for the club. But perhaps his most impressive feat is his scoring proficiency record, which he also holds for Serie A. Amazingly, he scored .77 goals per match. To put that in perspective, Piola’s scoring percentage is only .51. They just don’t make them like that anymore.


il Cannoniere

He went on to manage a number of clubs in Sweden, including IFK for two different spells. Sadly, he passed away in 1995 at the age of 73. But his legend in Sweden lives on, as IFK just recently named their supporters’ stands after him: the Curva Nordahl. The name blends his Italian legacy (“Curva Nord” is the north curve) and his Swedish and IFK legacies to honor a man who not only left his mark on Swedish and Italian football, but also paved the way for future Swedish players to be able to play in abroad today. Without Nordahl, there would be no Ibra. So let’s tip our hats to a true Milan legend and a great man, il Cannoniere.

Footage

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
Compilation of Milans season 1950-54

Sources

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
http://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/landslagsdatabas/landslagsspelare/?fplid=658284
https://books.google.se/books?id=lWGFDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT229&dq=gunnar+nordahl&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvie7W-5HTAhUFZCwKHQnuCMkQ6AEILDAC#v=onepage&q=gunnar nordahl&f=false
https://books.google.se/books?id=d2VQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT204&dq=gunnar+nordahl&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP67fm-5HTAhXDWywKHcnbB_E4ChDoAQhDMAc#v=onepage&q=gunnar nordahl&f=false
https://books.google.se/books?id=rhIHBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT66&dq=gunnar+nordahl&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP67fm-5HTAhXDWywKHcnbB_E4ChDoAQhQMAk#v=onepage&q=gunnar nordahl&f=false

 

[Annahnomoss]

Lennart ''Nacka" Skoglund
Position: Left winger(Secondary position: Inside left)
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 68 kg
Achievements:
World Cup Silver: 1958
World Cup Bronze: 1950
Serie A: 1952-53, 1953-54
Swedish Cup: 1950
World Cup 1958 XI: Best left winger of the tournament

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------
Club------------449----------.100--------
Sweden--------11------------1---------

Peak Statistics - 1950-59
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------Goals per game
Club------------241-----------55-------- 0.23
Sweden--------11------------1----------.0.09
Total-----------252-----------56---------0.22

In the 1958 World Cup he was named in the team of the tournament as the best left winger which came as no surprise as he with his 1 goal and 3 assists was more productive than Garrincha himself who had 3 assists.

Most countries had some player whos talent was overpowered by something outside of the pitch turning them from legends to myths. The likes of Ronaldinho, Duncan Edwards and in Swedens case - Nacka Skoglund.

To this day, when the Swedes celebrate christmas, on christmas eve fans and admirers gather at his statue in Nackas corner - a play of word on when he scored directly on a corner. Even fans from other countries have been known to participate.

Gren himself considered Nacka to be the greatest Swedish talent of the time. "Us three weren't the greatest Swedes in Italy, that was Nacka Skoglund. The people were mesmerized by his way to play and live. Nobody will ever be greater than Nacka was, I still remember when his Inter beat us with 3-2 and he scored two on his own".

He was such a creative entertainer and gifted dribbler that it is said the opponents at times were left behind with their jaws dropped from what they had just seen.


Style of play
He was beyond a world class dribbler, he was an artist, who entertained the entire audience with his tricks and plays. His crossing was pin point accurate and he was the heart of so many of the plays for Inter and Sweden. Many times outshining Hamrin in terms of pure skill and in the 1958 World Cup he was included in the all star XI as the tournaments best left winger. He was extremely explosive and could accelerate past most players and had great pace as well.

Superbly talented, he was described as a "soloist", a player who played to the gallery and had an array of tricks allied to a fierce shot. He did little to help out his team-mates on the field, but he was no mere show pony and helped Inter to two league titles during a playing career that catapulted him to international stardom.

Even the Brazilians were in awe of his dribbling and Ronnie Hellström said "He did stuff that nobody else could. I used to stand in goal while he'd take shots and ball after ball went in. And his passes, he'd set the teammates free on goal over and over through out the match."

He was a complete classic winger who would consistently beat his full back through out the game and set up his team mates as well as known for his great off the ball runs when cutting inside to score or find space behind the defensive line.


Information
The rise of the legend

In 1950 he was the biggest star Sweden who had to play without any other big names. Yet he was one of the reasons that Sweden won the group ahead of Italy after a great performance from him in the 3-2 win against Italy.

For the last two games he got kicked out from the team and Sweden narrowly lost out to Uruguay as a result and finished third. Inter had seen enough of him and instantly signed him up, and there he played as a key part of a succesful Inter side winning the league in 53 and 54.

He was able to leave an indelible mark on the club. Superbly talented, he was described as a "soloist", a player who played to the gallery and had an array of tricks allied to a fierce shot. He did little to help out his team-mates on the field, but he was no mere show pony and helped Inter to two league titles during a playing career that catapulted him to international stardom.

Even the Brazilians were in awe of his dribbling and Ronnie Hellström said "He did stuff that nobody else could. I used to stand in goal while he'd take shots and ball after ball went in. And his passes, he'd set the teammates free on goal over and over through out the match."

In '58 he was 28 and in his peak as the worlds greatest players faced off in the World Cup. named the best left winger of the tournament.

But even before his arrival in Milan, there had been questions about his lifestyle, with the Italian press already well aware of his taste for alcohol. There was hope that becoming a professional in Italy, with its change in culture, would see his attitude improve - but his rise to stardom appeared to exacerbate the problem. He began keeping a bottle of Ballatine's whisky in his locker at the club to ensure he could drink during the day, and was constantly out on the town. Skoglund could sometimes lose control - in January 1952, he got into an argument with a taxi driver who later took him to court, complaining that he had vandalised his cab. In April 1952, he got engaged to a Miss Italy runner-up and they were married that August. She became pregnant with his first son soon afterwards, but even this did nothing to settle him down.

Alfredo Foni took charge of Inter in 1952 and, under his management, Skoglund enjoyed the greatest times of his career. Adopting a highly defensive approach, Inter won the Scudetto in both 1953 and 1954, with the Swede a key part of their attack.

However, Foni had serious concerns that Skoglund's drinking was out of control, and is said to have approached the club president, Carlo Masseroni, with his observations. A meeting was called with the player's father, at which Skoglund Snr, agreeing to address the problem, stood up and slapped his astonished son. Later that evening, Inter's masseuse spotted father and son out together, drunk in Milan's Piazza del Duomo.

Both Foni and Masseroni departed Inter at the end of the 1954-55 season after the defending champions had finished eighth, and the club was to endure a period of great instability. Inter changed managers seven times in Angelo Moratti's first three years as president and failed to produce any sort of challenge in Serie A or the Fairs Cup.

They were tough times for Skoglund, too: his wife was left critically ill in January 1956 after having a stillborn daughter although she recovered, giving birth to a second son the following year.

By 1958, Skoglund was also in serious financial difficulty despite his high earnings, but was thrown a lifeline. Sweden had controversially decided to allow the overseas players back into the fold for the World Cup on home soil; Inter, sensing the potential benefits of Skoglund's increased box-office appeal, had offered him a 10,000 kronor (£700) bonus if they won the tournament.

Skoglund lived up to all expectations as Sweden embarked on their finest-ever World Cup campaign. He excelled in the group stages as they saw off Mexico and Hungary before drawing 0-0 with Wales in a match in which he was denied by two goal-line clearances (and after which he was described in the Daily Express as "the idol of Stockholm and most arrogant, petulant performer ever spoilt by fan worship").

After a 2-0 victory over Soviet Union booked Sweden a place in the semi-finals against West Germany, Skoglund launched an astonishing attack on his coach in a column for the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. Referring to him only as "Raynor", he wrote dismissively of his training methods. "He went so far as to drive us into the woods for our running. Personally, I thought that was really unthinkable. One can easily twist a foot among the roots of the trees." Raynor kept faith with the malcontent and was rewarded: Skoglund slid home the equaliser from a tight angle in a 3-1 victory to take the hosts to the final.

Asked afterwards whether Skoglund's place had ever been under any threat, Raynor told the Daily Mirror: "I have given up trying to tell him what to do and how I want him to do it, but I can't leave him out. I need him in the team. He can hang around on the field and do what he likes so far as I'm concerned, for he has the incredible knack of suddenly getting the goal that counts."

The downfall and his myth status
Skoglund's problems were to grow significantly upon his return to Italy. He discovered that his wife had sued his financial adviser while the World Cup had been under way, and that - much to his surprise - a bar he owned in Via Paolo Sapri was heavily in the red. After joining his wife in criticising the financial adviser, he was also summoned to court for a defamation trial. In dire need of money, he released a record, "Vi kommer tillbaka", which reached No. 7 in Sweden. It was the first of six musical releases.

He spent the following season at Inter but, after making only 15 appearances, was allowed to join Sampdoria for 30 million lire (£17,250) in the summer of 1959. Warmly received by the fans, he was to spend three seasons in Genoa and was a regular in the team, but his personal problems were as bad as ever. Team-mate Francesco Morini discovered that Skoglund would keep a small bottle of whisky by the corner flag. When he took a corner, he would kneel down as though tying his shoelace and have a drink.

In July 1962, he was allowed to join Palermo, but his time there was disastrous from the outset. The club had no faith in his ability to remain sober and so enforced a strict curfew, while the player found himself bored and frustrated in the city. "I'm not enjoying it here in the negro village," he told Aftonbladet later in the year. The exact phrase he used - "negerbyn" - was, though still politically incorrect, often used at that time simply to imply a place that was quiet and remote in the sense of an African village. However, there is little doubt that he was referring to the largely dark-skinned Sicilian natives and that this was a highly unsavoury aspect to his character, for he added: "I might as well swim over to Africa and become friends with the real negroes."


He trained with Juventus in October that year with a view to a move, saying he would be "honoured to end my career with such a club", but failed to convince them. He continued at Palermo but appeared only six times over the course of the season. In July, after leaving the club, he was involved in a serious car accident. Driving to Florence, along with his two sons, his vehicle left the road and went down an escarpment. The family had to be rescued by passing motorists, and the children spent around three weeks in hospital.

In 1964, Skoglund returned to Hammarby, where he was still idolised, and there were signs of revival. Within minutes of his debut in May, he scored perhaps the most famous goal of his career, curling home direct from a corner in a 4-1 win over Karlstad. Hammarby cruised to promotion to the Allsvenskan that year and, in October, Skoglund made his return to the Sweden team, earning his 11th cap in a 3-3 friendly draw against Poland.

However, he was suffering badly with the effects of alcohol abuse. His marriage broke up and his children remained in Italy. There were reports that he was having to ask for handouts to pay for food and, while travelling around to promote his music, he was found drunk at the wheel and lost his driving licence. To help him out, the club's manager, the owner of a carpet shop, eventually offered him a job. For two months, the great Skoglund worked as a carpet salesman. In 1968, he retired after a spell with Karrtorps, a fourth tier side managed by his older brother, Georg.

His retirement was dismal. Living in a tiny apartment, he was unable to accept the help he needed to escape his addiction and took on a job shovelling snow. In 1972, he met a young girl with whom he fell in love and, seeking to give him a future, she secured him work in a bookshop. She battled to save him but, when she discovered he was drinking in secret, he was left alone again. His mother became his most regular companion.

He had attempted suicide in 1974, and the following year he tried again. This time, his attempt succeeded: he opened the gas valves in his apartment and succumbed despite an apparent late dash for the front door. "Success slowly killed him," his mother said.

Around 2,000 people attended his funeral in southern Stockholm. "Now you will go to heaven," the priest said. "There is probably a place for you to play up there too, Nacka."

Footage

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
(Compilation)
(Part 1 of 6)
(Compilation)

Sources

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
http://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/landslagsdatabas/landslagsspelare/?fplid=658380
http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/article10626641.ab
http://www.aik.se/fotboll/historik/500aikare/lennskog.html

 

[Annahnomoss]

Kurt ''Il Uccellino" Hamrin
Position: Right Winger
Height: 1.69m
Weight: 69 kg
Achievements:
Top scorer of the league
Allsvenskan - 1955
Swedish Footballer of the year 1947
Serie A - 1967-68
Italian Cup - 1960-61, 1965-66
European Cup - 1968-69
UEFA Cup Winners Cup - 1967-68
World Cup Runner up - 1958
FIFA XI 1967
8th Highest goalscorer of all-time in Serie A
All-time Fiorentina top scorer

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------
Club------------472-----------249--------
Sweden--------32------------17---------

Peak Statistics - 1958-62
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------Goals per game
Club------------96 ----------- 72-------- --0.75
Sweden--------5-------------4------------1.75
Total-----------101-----------78---------- 0.77


Similar to Nacka Skoglund in ability but with a long defined peak. The best right winger in 1958 World Cup with his 4 goals and 3 assists in comparison to Garrinchas 3 assists. With Rahn as a close second with his 6 high impact goals as he led Germany forward all the way until he was outperformed by Hamrin in the semi-final.

The man had to do the impossible task of replacing Julinho at Fiorentina. Nobody expected that he'd end up surpassing the Brazilian in terms of stature and adulation.

From '57 and forward he was constantly among the top scorers in the league - from out wide. He was considered one of the best right wingers in football between 1957-63 and was nominated for the Ballon every year in that time period(except 69) and voted 4th in '58. Also included in the FIFA XI in 1957 and 1967.
Kurt Hamrin, who was known in Italy as ‘l’uccellino’ - the little bird - for his height and the way his buzzing pace, agility had him looking like he soared like a little bird down the wing. He was one of Serie A’s greatest players of the 1950s and 60s. He was also one of the finest footballers Sweden has ever produced.

"His technical ability was always on show, illustrating his agile movement and speed on the wing before dribbling inside to unleash an inch-perfect shot in to the top corner."

1958:
Mexico vs Sweden 3-0 - Gets pulled down in the penalty area which leads to a penalty that Liedholm converts.
Sweden vs Hungary 2-1 - Hamrin scores both goals.
Sweden vs Wales 0-0
Sweden vs Soviet 2-0 - Hamrin scores first goal and has a great game in general.
Sweden vs West Germany 3-1 - Hamrin gets Juskowiak sent off, Hamrin assists the 2-1 goal and finishes the game with his 3-1 goal.
Sweden vs Brazil 4-2 - Kept rather quiet by Nilton Santos.

Style of play

Despite being a winger, Hamrin nearly always challenged for the title of Serie A capocannoniere. Ability wise had everything you could ask for from a winger, and on top of that he was a blessed with flair and individual brilliance that would decide the game in a moment.

It is said that his acceleration is among the best in Serie A history and his pace was great to boot. Combined with being one of the best two footed dribblers in history he had something else when it came to pure ability.

He was known to receive a ball at his feet and slowly, and nonchalantly, walk towards his marker - just to burst past them with ease after a dribble and some acceleration.

He had great creativity, good passing and crossing as well but what stood out above the rest was his goalscoring. He was constantly challenging for the top scorer award, as a winger, more often than not outscoring John Charles.

He had a great shot on him and a lot of his goals came were long rangers from outside of the box. He was a player who didn't mind if the other winger got a lot of the ball as well and he was almost a modern winger who would then make his way towards goal.

Both him and Skoglund were great ball carrying wingers and they had a terrific and complementary wing partnership.

"However, on the eve of the 1958 Finals, this rule was relaxed by the Swedish FA - no doubt to improve Sweden’s chances on home soil. Hamrin emerged as one of the stars of that World Cup, coming into his own in the quarter-final against Russia and the semi-final against West Germany. Against the Russians he unleashed his full armoury of tricks, dummying both ways and accelerating past his markers. The Swedes won 2-0 with Hamrin heading the first and setting up the second, beating three men before cutting the ball back to the grateful Simonsson. One journalist describing this match said: "It was though Hamrin had launched a personal blitzkrieg."

Against the ruthless Germans he was once again Sweden’s danger man, tormenting his marker, full-back Juskowiak, time and time again. The defender became so wound up that when Hamrin - who, wrote the English journalist Brian Glanville, bore his way through the German defence "like an inspired mole" - fouled him 12 minutes into the second half, he lost his temper and retaliated, resulting in him being sent off. With the Germans down to 10 men Sweden won 3-1 with Hamrin scoring the third a minute from time. It was arguably the best individual goal of the competition. Receiving the ball he began to trundle with it towards the touchline "like a man stricken by temporary amnesia," wrote Glanville. Then he suddenly came alive, beating one man, then a second and a third before slipping the ball past German goalkeeper Herkenrath. Which meant Sweden were in the Final."

Sort of underrated for being a constant 2nd, in the top goal scorer awards, with his club and with the national team. But ability wise he's an absolute great.


Information
Born in 1934 he began his career with local side AIK Stockholm in 1952. Hamrin was a product of one of Sweden’s ‘Stars of the Future’ courses which were devised to replace the talent leaving the country following Sweden’s triumph at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. The policy was a huge success. Apart from Hamrin the courses also produced Skoglund, Axbom, Parling and Borjesson, all players who starred in the Swedish side that reached the World Cup Final in 1958. Hamrin’s displays for AIK - he scored an incredible 54 in 62 matches - naturally caught the attention of Italian clubs. In the 1950s Swedish players were all the rage in Italy. Gunnar Nordahl, a prolific striker, and Nils Liedholm, a graceful midfield player, had both joined Milan. Skoglund, a mercurial left winger, had gone to Inter. Selmosson, a talented striker known as the ‘Ray of Moonlight,’ signed for Udinese. Gustavsson, a hard defender joined Atalanta and Jeppson, an elegant forward, was a star at Napoli.
From signing for Juventus through a Fiat dealership in Stockholm to nurturing a young Gianni Rivera at AC Milan, via European triumph in the viola of Fiorentina, Kurt Hamrin enjoyed an incredible career. We caught up with the World Cup finalist who must go down as one of Italian football’s greatest imports…



In Italy he was known as Uccellino, little bird, because he was so fast and so light when he played that he seemed to fly over the grass.

Kurt Hamrin was born in 1934, in Stockholm, and he was one of the greatest strikers ever, but the story of how he left his amateur club in Sweden, AIK Solna, for Italy’s star-studded Serie A is a curious one.

Speaking to us via telephone, in Italian, Hamrin wastes no time in describing the remarkable international setup that allowed Juventus – the first of his Italian clubs – to keep track of the world’s best footballers.

“Juventus chose me,” Kurt tells us, recalling that big move in 1956. “They were following me through Fiat Sweden in Stockholm, a branch of the Italian automobile manufacturer owned by the Agnelli family, the owners of the team. It was common in those years – for example, Omar Sivori arrived at Juventus through Fiat Argentina.

“In every international branch, Fiat had a man who was interested in sports, appointed to follow the local championships in order to discover new talents to bring to Italy. One of these observers followed all my matches in Sweden and sent reports to Juventus headquarters in Piazza San Carlo, in Turin.

“The last game I played before going to Italy was with the national team, against Portugal in Lisbon – we won 6-2 and I scored a goal. Then, after the match, Sandro Puppo, the Juventus trainer who had come to see me play, came to me and asked if I wanted to go to Italy. Well, it was my dream to be a professional player, like my compatriot [Arne] Selmosson, who had gone to play for Udinese.”

At that moment, Hamrin was about to see his dream come true.

“‘They will call you in the next days,’ Puppo told me. ‘You’ll go to the Fiat offices in Stockholm and there you’ll sign the contract with Juventus.’”

He played 23 Serie A matches for Juventus in 1956/57, scoring eight goals, but he was plagued by a sequence of bad injuries that affected his performances, and the club decided to sell him at the end of the season. They had bought the Welsh giant John Charles and the skillful Omar Sivori, and Italian rules only allowed teams to have two foreign players on their roster.

Hamrin moved to Padova, a town in the north-eastern Veneto region, famous for its great number of masterworks by Giotto. And “masterwork” is the best word to describe the season Kurt enjoyed with Padova. At the age of 24, he managed 20 goals in 30 matches, leading his unfashionable team to third place in Serie A. It was a memorable campaign for the Padova faithful, and one Kurt still likes to look back on.

“I have beautiful memories of my life in Veneto,” he says fondly. “I became a real professional football player – no longer a child. When I arrived there, Padova was a team of low grade in Serie A, struggling not to be relegated.

“But we turned into a very good team, thanks to our coach Nereo Rocco. We had an extraordinary defence, with me scoring goals, alongside Luosi at inside-forward, Brighenti the centre-forward, Mari in midfield and Boscolo outside-left. I played very well that season, having regained my fitness after four injuries to the fifth metatarsus that I suffered when I was at Juventus.”

After that brilliant season, Fiorentina decided to make a move for Hamrin, with the intention of placing him on the right side of their attack. The club were very ambitious, and in their first season with Kurt gained second place in Serie A. After a good start, the Swedish striker ended up staying in Florence for several years.

“I spent nine years there – all wonderful,” he says enthusiastically. “During the first two, I scored a lot: 52 goals, a spray of gunfire!

“In my later years in Florence, I was like a hen for the young talents of the new generations, and the most unforgettable moment in a violet shirt for me was the Cup Winners’ Cup, which we won in Glasgow, in 1961.”

After nine years in Florence, Hamrin was offered a fairytale chance with Milan, at the age of 33. In two seasons there, he won almost everything.

“Yes, we won Serie A; the Cup Winners’ Cup; the European Cup; the Intercontinental Cup. It was a triumphal march.

“I was almost 35 when I went away from Milan. The one who wanted me at all costs was Nereo Rocco, my coach from the Padova days. He talked to me by phone through Mister Passalacqua, Milan’s office manager during those years, and he insisted that he wanted to bring to Milan three little old men: Fabio Cudicini, Saul Malatrasi… and Hamrin, of course! With our experience, we helped him to raise young talents, like Gianni Rivera, Pierino Prati and Giovanni Trapattoni.”

After two years in Milan, a 35-year-old Hamrin moved to Napoli, where he played two more years before ending his career.

But Hamrin was also a hero for his national team. He was part of one of the greatest sides that Sweden ever had, and alongside players like Nils Liedholm, Gunnar Gren and Lennart Skoglund, he helped the Scandinavian team to reach the final of the World Cup in 1958, in their home country. Their opponent that day in Stockholm was the great Brazil of Pelé, and the score was unmerciful: 5-2 to the South Americans.

“Honestly,” Hamrin admits, “I think that score was a bit too much for us. We didn’t deserve a gap like that. We played a wonderful match against Brazil: at a certain point of the match we didn’t play anymore to win – because the match was surely lost – but just because we loved to play football.

“We wanted to play the ball in our own way, without beating up our opponents. But the feet of Brazilian players were more refined than ours.”

Before ending our conversation, there are two questions I want to ask Hamrin, and the first is about one of his vanquishers that day, Pelè – was he truly the greatest football player ever?

“I don’t know if he was the greatest,” says Kurt. “Surely he was the most important player of the world.”

A very clever answer. But my final question is unavoidable – which one is his favorite goal?

Hamrin doesn’t hesitate.

“I scored it in Florence, against Juventus,” he says. “Montuori passed me the ball from the midfield – I was playing as a left-sided forward, and I stopped the ball. I did a sombrero to Benito Sarti, my marker, then I took the ball to the other side and shot immediately. The goalkeeper Vavassori didn’t see the ball.”


The World Cup hosted by Sweden in 1958 is most keenly remembered for the emergence onto the world stage of a precocious 17-year old by the name of Edson Arantes do Nascimento. In the World Cup final of that year the youngster famously scored two of the five goals that Brazil put past tournament hosts Sweden. The 5-2 victory sealed Brazil's maiden World Cup triumph ending an eight year hangover that was born of Brazil's shock loss to Uruguay when hosting the tournament themselves back in 1950.

Such is the nature of the World Cup that every tournament has its own side stories and subplots that make it the global phenomenon that it is. The Sweden team that lost to Brazil on June 29th 1958 had its own incredible story, a tale that started with an Olympic gold medal victory in the London games of 1948. Sweden were led by what would later become the famous Gre-No-Li a triumvirate that consisted of Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordhal and Nils Liedholm. Throughout the 1950's these three players would go on together to wreak havoc for AC Milan and are rightly remembered as pioneers of a golden age in Italian club football.

Had it not been for the fact that professional players were unable to compete in the World Cup in 1950 many in Sweden believe their side would have been primed to take home the ultimate prize. The Swedish fans argument derived from the dominant performances that they had exhibited in their 1948 Olympic games victory. Bereft of their three best players, in 1950 Sweden respectfully bowed out as the third placed team in the tournament.

As the decade rolled on Sweden inexplicably failed to qualify for the 1954 World Cup held in Switzerland, however as hosts in 1958 qualification would not pose a problem. As well as having home advantage the Swedes would be boosted by the fact that with a change in FIFA regulations professional players were now permitted to represent their national sides. Both Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm were both the wrong side of thirty, yet at the ages of 37 and 35 respectively both would play a part in Sweden's march to the final. With Gunnar Nordhal retired from the International stage it was a young man born in Stockholm who would rise to the occasion, in doing so he both galvanised a country and lit up the tournament, providing the type of spectacle that the watching world would lap up. For three weeks in June that year the Swedish public be-knighted a new hero into their fold, his name was Kurt Hamrin.


As attested to in Sven Goran Eriksson's autobiography 'Sven: My Story' when reflecting on the 1958 World Cup a young Sven recollects the following..

...The tournament was held in Sweden and everyone followed it on the radio or on television. We did not have a television, but someone else must have had one as i distinctly remember watching a fuzzy broadcast of one of the games. Highlights from the matches were shown in the cinema. Kurt 'Kurre' Hamrin was our favourite Swedish player. He was from Stockholm, but he had relatives in Varmland and spent summers there...

For many of the world's countries looking on from afar Kurt Hamrin would have been an unknown and marginal figure, except perhaps in Italy. Italy for the first and only time in their history had failed to qualify for the World Cup and so were cast as mere observers, solemn witnesses to the action that unfurled across Sweden in what proved to be a feast of International football.


In Italy they already knew about Hamrin. Brought to the country in the 1956-57 season at the behest of the Stockholm branch of FIAT which doubled up alongside every other international branch of FIAT as a scouting network for the Agnelli family owned football club Juventus. Under strict Italian football regulations Hamrin had debuted in Serie A as one of only two foreigners allowed in any given team. Hamrin had shown great potential for a player so young, forging his own path yet following in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen who had trail-blazed up and down the Italian peninsula during the first half of the decade.

Unfortunately for Hamrin a series of injuries was to blight his time with Juventus, so much so that after only one season at the club the Turin based team opted to let the young Swede go. 23 games and 8 goals had been deemed not good enough for a player to occupy one of the two vested foreign player positions in the side. Hamrin was sent out on loan to Padova with a question mark in relation to his perceived frailty hanging over his head. This would be a turning point for the youngster, teaming up with the soon to be legendary Italian coach Nereo Rocco. In the 1957-58 season under the tutelage of Rocco, Hamrin would set Serie A ablaze scoring 20 goals in 30 appearances skyrocketing the provincial also-rans to their highest ever position in Serie A. Hamrin was at the heart of Padova's endeavours as the club amazingly finished the season third in the league table.

As the 1957-58 season drew to a close so the 1958 World Cup loomed large on the horizon. Hamrin had been a Swedish international since 1953. A popular player among both his peer group as well as the Swedish fans, he had introduced himself to the Swedish public at large back in 1953 when in front of 80,000 partisan Hungarians he famously scored an equaliser for the Swedes that in the process denied ' The Magnificent Magyars' a team consisting of Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor victory in front of their home fans in Budapest, the match ending in a 2-2 draw. In Sweden they knew in Hamrin they had a special talent, in Italy their attention had been roused, but it would be the World Cup of 1958 that would set the stage for Kurt Hamrin to announce his talent on a global scale.

In Sweden's second game of the group stage Hamrin would visit his talent upon an admittedly weakened Hungarian team once more. Scoring twice in Sweden's 2-1 victory, a 3-0 victory over Mexico in their opening group game and a 0-0 draw against Wales in their last group game was good enough to see Sweden in to the quarter finals. There they would face the Soviet Union, Hamrin was on the score sheet again in a solid 2-0 victory that would set up a semi-final clash against the then current World Cup holders West Germany. With the eyes and ears of the world firmly fixed upon the Swedish city of Gothenburg, Hamrin would seal the deal for his country with the third goal in a 3-1 victory for the host nation. A goal of such beauty that to this day it is still talked about with hushed reverence, not just in Sweden but amongst football aficionados the world over.

Picking the ball up in his favoured wide right position Hamrin casually started to walk with the ball at his feet, with all the nonchalance of a child kicking his ball home on the walk back from school. There appears to be no apparent threat to the German defence. After four touches of the ball at this pedestrian pace a German defender rushes in to attempt to dispossess the 23-year-old Swede. Suddenly Hamrin takes his cue and turns on the burners, easily outpacing his opponent he cuts inside at the byline only to meet a second German defender, Hamrin slips the ball through his frantic opponent's legs leaving the defender sprawling on the floor as he advances towards goal. The German keeper Fritz Herkenrath was stalling at his near post and with the German defence closing in Hamrin waited and waited till finally Herkenrath committed himself leaving Hamrin to craftily dink the ball over the goalkeeper in to the back of the net. A truly astonishing goal, one that would confirm Sweden's advancement to the World Cup final. That night on June 24th 1958 in front of nearly 50,000 people the legend of Kurt Hamrin was born.

1958 is a standout year in the career of Kurt Hamrin, the darling of his nation his 4 goals in 5 starts in the World Cup helped him to fourth place in French publication 'France Football's' Ballon d'Or (or as it was more commonly know at the time in English 'The European footballer of the year') awards. No mean feat for a player who had been discarded just a year earlier by his then club Juventus. Juventus loss had been Padova's gain but with a successful World Cup campaign behind him it felt only natural that the sprightly winger would move on to new climes.

Enter Fiorentina, during the 1957-58 Serie A season the Tuscan club had on the final day of the season just pipped Padova in to second place in the league standings. The Florence based club were on the look out for a new talent having just released not only their right winger but the player nominated in 1996 as the best player in the entire history of Fiorentina. The great Julinho was a right winger from Brazil whose talent was such that had it not been for the ban on professional players attending World Cups, reputedly he would have been ahead of Garrincha in the pecking order of the Brazilian national team of 1950. Julinho was a god in Florence having taken Fiorentina to new heights securing the club's first ever scudetto in 1955-56 as well as taking them all the way to the European Cup final in 1956-57. Objectively one could say that these would not be easy boots to fill.

It would take a special player to take up Julinho's mantle, the sort of player required would have to be one who themselves could prove capable of etching an indelible mark onto the collective canvas known as Fiorentinas history. Whether that task was figurative or based in reality, one can say with absolute certainty that Kurt Hamrin not only rose to that challenge but matched and perhaps in some quarters would even be considered to have surpassed the staggering precedents that had been set for him.

Hamrin enjoyed nine years with Fiorentina, in those nine years he broke club records. With 208 goals across all competitions for the club he is Fiorentina's highest ever goalscorer. To put this in context aside from Gabriel Batistuta who sits in second on 207 goals for the Viola, the man in third is Italo-Argentine Miguel Montuori who in a distinguished career of his own with Fiorentina bagged 84 goals across all competitions. Hamrin sits fourth in all time appearances for the Viola with 362 appearances to his name. Of those 362 appearances 289 came in Serie A resulting in 150 league goals for the club. Simple maths shows that in one of the toughest defensive leagues in the world, where players were not offered the protection that they are nowadays Hamrin averaged over a goal every two games for Fiorentina. In the Fiorentina pantheon he is unquestionably one of the greats. Looking at his career beyond his time at the Viola furthermore cements his legacy among exalted company in football's grand history. Hamrin spent 15 years as a professional in Italy racking up 400 Serie A appearances which is to this day a record for a foreign player. Hamrin's combined total of 190 Serie A goals leaves him in eighth position on the all time list, one of only two foreigners who make the top ten (the other being his fellow countryman Gunnar Nordhal who sits third on the list on 225).

This was a player of the highest calibre and as such he took no time in settling into his new Tuscan surroundings. In 1958-59 Kurt Hamrin met Miguel Montuori the two Viola players clicked almost instantaneously. Goals were to follow, followed by more goals. In Hamrin's first season with the club Fiorentina accrued 95 goals in 34 league games, only the 'Grande Torino' team of the 1940's have ever scored more goals in a one off season. Alas Fiorentina were to narrowly miss out on the scudetto, coming second to AC Milan finishing only three points off of the Milanese club. Hamrin scored 26 goals in his first season with the club a feat that he would repeat in his second season also. Honours were to follow in the 1960-61 season Fiorentina won the Coppa Italia. The final was held in Florence, having beaten Juventus 3-1 in the semi-final the Viola defeated Lazio 2-0 in the final, in doing so both avenging the club's 1958 1-0 Coppa Italia final loss to Lazio, as well as making up for a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat after extra time to Juventus in the 1959-60 final of the same competition.

For Fiorentina the 1960-61 season also proved pivotal on the European stage, the Viola captured Italy's first ever European club crown winning the inaugural UEFA Cup Winners Cup beating Glasgow Rangers over the course of a two legged final. Fiorentina won the first leg in Glasgow 2-0 and then followed it up with a 2-1 home victory, Hamrin netting the second goal on the night to make it 4-1 on aggregate his goal both making sure of the victory as well as helping to deliver another piece of silverware into the Fiorentina trophy cabinet. Hamrin was to later go on to win another Cup Winners Cup trophy with AC Milan. It was a tournament that seemed to bring out the best in the talented Swede. In 8 appearances in the tournament Hamrin scored 6 goals 3 of which came in the final of the competition. In a one legged final in 1967-68 in the late autumn to winter of his career Hamrin scored both goals in AC Milans 2-0 victory over Hamburg.

In the 1963-64 season Kurt's knack for putting the ball in the back of the net won him another record. As Fiorentina visited Bergamo to face Atalanta in an away fixture in the league. Fiorentina ran out 7-1 victors with Hamrin notching 5 of the 7 goals scored. To this day this remains a record as no other player has scored 5 goals in an away fixture in Serie A.

The last medal Kurt Hamrin collected whilst donning the famous purple shirt came in the 1965-66 season when once again Fiorentina won the Coppa Italia this time defeating surprise finalists Catanzaro 2-1. Fittingly as it was to be his last success at the club Hamrin managed to grab a goal in the victory.

Hamrin's career was a long and storied one, loved by the fans his elegant quick footed style combined with his prolific goal scoring ability understandably endeared him to Fiorentina's legion of supporters. The love in was mutual as to this day Kurt Hamrin still resides in Tuscany and calls Florence his home. So it was with a heavy heart that the man from Stockholm departed Fiorentina. In 1967 rather prematurely Fiorentina's club directors decided that Hamrin was too old for their vision for the future and with that the right winger come forward was offloaded to AC Milan.

At AC Milan Hamrin was to join up with his one time manager of Padova Nereo Rocco. Hamrin was to enjoy an Indian summer that no Fiorentina fan would have begrudged him. Whilst with Milan Hamrin completed his medal collection winning a scudetto in 1967-68, as well as in the same year adding the aforementioned second Cup Winners Cup medal to his growing collection. In 1968-69 he added the icing on the cake by winning the European Cup as the Rossoneri overcame Ajax 4-1 in the final of that year's competition. Needless to say this left many in Florence red faced, how could they have encouraged a man with so much talent still left in his boots to leave the club?

Kurt Hamrin's golden career fizzled out with a short stint at Napoli and then a move back to Sweden where he played one season for IFK Stockholm before retiring in 1972. However it is with one club that Hamrin remains synonymous and that club is Fiorentina, in the history of the club he is a colossus. For a foreign player to stay nine years at one club is quite something. Remarkably Fiorentina have had a couple of foreign players who have shown that kind of loyalty. In this day and age it is more than a rarity, we will probably never see their like again. A sad thought but one that also helps paint a picture, an enduring image of the man they dubbed 'the little bird'.


Footage

Spoiler

(Highlight vs West Germany)
(Compilation)
(Epic heroes of Fiorentina)
(Sweden vs USSR highlight '58)
(Sweden vs Hungary highlight '58)

Sources

Spoiler

http://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/landslagsdatabas/landslagsspelare/?fplid=658041
http://www.violanation.com/special-...59862/kurt-hamrin-an-icon-of-fiorentinas-past

 

[Annahnomoss]

Nils "Il Conte" Liedholm
Position: Inside left/right(Secondary: left/right half, left winger)
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Achievements:
Allsvenskan - 1946-47, 1947-48
Serie A - 1950-51, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1958-59
Latin Cup - 1950-51, 1955-56
European Cup(2nd) - 1957-58
Olympic Gold - 1948
World Cup Silver - 1958
Italian Football Hall of fame

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------
Club------------394-----------89--------
Sweden--------23------------12---------

Peak Statistics - 1947-52
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------Goals per game
Club------------106-----------48--------- 0.45
Sweden--------18------------10----------0.55

His peak as an individual came in 48-51(26-30 yo), similar to Nordahl. Together they were key pieces in a Norrköping side that dominated Swedish football at the time. So the unbelievable magic they had came from playing together for so long.

They were well known greats nationally prior to the '48 Olympics, but it was there that they had their first chance to step up and face the best the other nations had to offer.

After a glorious Olympic from Grenoli they were all signed by Milan. Even if Milan as a team was struggling to find a common ground between the newly arrived Swedes neverending attacking samba football and the great tactical Italians - Nils arguably had one of his best seasons with a 6-1 trashing of the eventual winners Juventus as the highpoint of the season.

With 18 league goals he was playing exceptional football as Milan with the Swedes proved to be the most enchanting attacking side in the league. Milan scored 118 goals in the league that season with 36 coming from Gren and Liedholm and 35 from Nordahl.

In 50-51 he was also the stand out player of the year with Nordahl and Gren and won the league as well as the Latin Cup, the forerunner to the European Cup. While Nordahl was a bigger star while at Norrköping, Liedholm was now pushing Nordahl for his money and was as good if not better than the striker.

Style of play
Nils Liedholm gave rare meaning to the over-used description of football as "the beautiful game". A deeply thoughtful Swede who passed his playing pomp in Italy with AC Milan, he was tall and possed supreme fitness and was one of the most elegant, imaginative and productive midfield generals of his generation, and it was no surprise that he matured into a immensely successful coach in the adopted land he had come to embrace.

An absolute world class dribbler and playmaker with great stamina who would beat players with ease. He could go on dribbling raids and beat player after player to score on his own.

Or more commonly he'd beat his markers with ease. Just to strut towards the defender who had to take the challenge - for Liedholm to get a yard with his dribbling and find the free space that opened up behind the now out-of-position defender.

Together with Gren and Nordahl he led one of the most effective and entertaining attacks in history.

His speciality was passing the ball, intelligently and with remarkable accuracy, over long distances and short, and there is a story that it was two years before he first misplaced a dispatch in front of his home supporters. Their reaction to this stunning occurrence, the tale goes on, was a five-minute standing ovation to indicate their recognition that they had witnessed a mere blip in the maestro's customary excellence. Liedholm was close to perfect, after all he had been named “player of the millennium” by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

"I remember performances in which he didn't make a single mistake," said Silvio Berlusconi

The more impressive as Liedholm never played it safe, in fact quite the contrary. With a cool head he defied the law of space in football and as long as he received a pass to his feet he'd get away from his marker regardless. He never pointlessly recycled possession but rather tried to create something with every touch.

Liedholm was an early adopter of non-football related training methods. He ran the 500 and 3000 metre races as a youngster, threw shot put and even mastered the javelin, and as a result he was able to take some of the most remarkable throw-ins in history, from the halfway line directly into the heart of the box. They were unparalleled in their accuracy and deadliness.

Defensively, as an inside right/left in the WM(3-2-2-3) the two "attacking midfielders" would fall back all the way in to the area to defend crosses. A narrow line of four formed just outside the area consisting of the inside right/half and the left/right half.

If the opponents had a deeper build up they'd push forward to regain the shape of the WM which means their job was that of a true box to box role. As they defended inside their area and ended up in the opponents area in nearly every attack.

The difference is that they didn't have any real responsibility to win the ball back through grit and tackling.

Information

Liedholm scaled a whole range of footballing mountains. On the field, he was a key contributor as Sweden won Olympic gold in London in 1948, he captained his country to the final of the World Cup a decade later and he glittered as Milan lifted four Italian League titles during the 1950s. From the dugout he guided AC to the same Serie A crown in 1979 and he repeated the feat with Roma in 1983, only to taste penalty shoot-out despair at the hands of Liverpool in the 1984 European Cup final.

Tall, lithe and smoothly skilful, the 20-year-old Liedholm began to emerge as an exceptional talent with one of his local clubs, IK Sleipner, during the Second World War, and in 1946 he was transferred to the far more eminent IFK Norrkoping, whom he helped to lift two Swedish League championships.

By 1948 he had risen to international status and although he was unable to command a berth in his specialist position of inside-forward in the Olympic side, he excelled as a wandering left winger and added considerable lustre to the Swedes' gold-winning combination which overcame Yugoslavia 3-1 in the Wembley final.

A year later his club manager, Lajos Czeizler, moved to AC Milan and made the signing of Liedholm and his prodigiously prolific goal-scoring team-mate, Gunnar Nordahl, an early priority. At the San Siro, the pair teamed up with their countryman and fellow Olympic medallist Gunnar Gren, and the illustrious trio, affectionately dubbed "Gre-No-Li" by their Italian admirers, proved central to the renaissance of a club which had spent decades in the doldrums.

Now AC Milan entered a golden age, winning the Scudetto (the League title) in 1951, 1955, 1957 and 1959. They became a major force in the newly launched European Cup, too, and Liedholm performed majestically in the second leg of the 1958 semi-final against Manchester United.

Admittedly, Matt Busby's side had been devastated by the recent Munich air disaster, but somehow they had managed to prevail 2-1 in the first leg on their home turf. In Italy, though, a patchwork United were swept aside by a team inspired by the majestic Swedish play-maker, who netted once himself and set up two goals for the Uruguayan sharpshooter Juan Schiaffino in a 4-0 victory.

Liedholm was equally potent in the Brussels final against the holders, the incomparable Real Madrid, orchestrating play and inspiring Milan to look the stronger unit as 90 minutes were completed with the score at 2-2. When Francisco Gento poached the winner for the Spaniards in added time, the Swedish schemer and his comrades could claim to be grievously unlucky. A further demonstration of Liedholm's consummate class followed later that year when he led his country to the World Cup final in his homeland.

Faced in the Rasunda Stadium, Solna, by a Brazil side containing the sensationally gifted 17-year-old Pelé, he laid down a marker of his own only four minutes into the action when he climaxed an enchanting dribble past two defenders with an emphatic finish to give Sweden a shock lead. The South Americans recovered to win 5-2, but the Scandinavians' 35-year-old skipper emerged with vast credit.

Liedholm was an astute strategist, too, and there was little doubt that after his retirement as a player in 1961, having scored 81 times in 359 appearances for Milan, he would take up coaching. He started by working with the club's youngsters, moving up to first-team duties in 1963. There followed an extensive, varied and accomplished coaching career, the highlights of which included helping Verona and Varese to earn promotion.

The peaks, however, were taking his beloved Milan to the 1979 Scudetto, then doing the same for Roma four years later. When in Rome there were also Italian Cup victories in 1980, 1981 and 1984, and that agonising European Cup final defeat by Liverpool at Roma's own headquarters, the Olympic Stadium.

In all there were three stints with Milan and four with Roma before "The Baron", so tagged by his footballing peers after he married a member of the Italian nobility, retired in 1997.


Footage

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
Compilation of Milans season 1950-54

Sources

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
Compilation of Milans season 1950-54

Gunnar ''Il Profesore" Gren
Position: Inside right(secondary: Right half)
Height: 180
Weight: 75 kg
Achievements:
Allsvenskan - 1941
Serie A - 1950-51, 1954-55
Olympic Gold - 1948
World Cup Silver - 1958
Swedish Footballer of the year - 1946
Top scorer: Allsvenskan - 1947
Latin Cup - 1950-51

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------
Club------------504-----------422--------
Sweden--------57------------32---------

Peak Statistics - 1947-51
Team--------Matches-------Goals-------Goals per game
Club------------121-----------109-------- 0.90
Sweden--------18------------10----------0.55

Gunnar Gren, 28 years old - 48 Olympics - Peak(47-51)

Style of play
Such an underrated part of the Grenoli. George Raynor said that Gren was the best player out of the Grenoli trio and a lot of people would agree. Some Swedish football experts lists Gren as the greatest Swedish player in history.

His skill with a football was apparent from an early age. While playing for boys' club BK Strix, Gren won a competition to find the best ball juggler against players from the top league, in Gothenburg and as part of his prize was paid to perform at half-time in a handball match.
For most of his career Gren was much more of a goal creator than a prolific scorer, always knowing the right ball to play at any given time. Yet still had a goal every other game average, just like Liedholm thanks to some fantastic finishing.

As a result of his flawless technique and dribbling Raymor remembers the first time he saw Gren play "He dribbled around three men, round the goalkeeper then turned around just to beat the goalkeeper again before and then back heeled the ball in to the net" which had Raynor hopping mad. For most of his career Gren was much more of a goal creator than a prolific scorer, always knowing the right ball to play at any given time and in Italy he was given the nickname 'Il Professore' for his intelligent style of play.

A fantastic blend of intelligent playmaking, excellent at retaining the ball and a showboating creativity and dribbling.

Both in terms of style and quality he was similar to Liedholm. He didn't have Liedholms world class passing range, but made up for it as the better technician and dribbler and with a much better drive and grit.

After a long unbeaten run, Sweden eventually lost in 1947, which marked an important turning point in the tricksters career as Raynor convinced him that he had to play for the team first.

Nordahl recalls that the Swedes were indebted to Gren for that final performance where "only he dared to keep the hold of the ball".

Defensively, as an inside right/left in the WM(3-2-2-3) the two "attacking midfielders" would fall back all the way in to the area to defend crosses. A narrow line of four formed just outside the area consisting of the inside right/half and the left/right half.

If the opponents had a deeper build up they'd push forward to regain the shape of the WM which means their job was that of a true box to box role. As they defended inside their area and ended up in the opponents area in nearly every attack.

The difference is that they didn't have any real responsibility to win the ball back through grit and tackling.

Information
Gren, the oldest of the three, was a technically accomplished inside-forward whose skills were apparent from an early age. Having won a ball-juggling contest in his native Gothenburg aged just 13; Gren was praised by a local newspaper which predicted that his tricks would be a good foundation for a career as a circus performer. Choosing to ignore this advice, he instead began playing for hometown club Garda BK, and his impressive performances there caused IFK Göteborg to sign him. He experienced instant success at IFK, winning the championship in the 1941-42 season, and continued to excel for both club and country over the next few years, receiving the inaugural Guldbollen (awarded to the best Swedish player of the year) in 1946. However, by this point his club side had been eclipsed by a new force in Swedish football: IFK Norrköping.

Norrköping won four successive league titles prior to the ’48 Olympics under Hungarian manager Lajos Czeizler, and central to their success were the contributions of Nordahl and Liedholm, the other two men in our trio. Nordahl grew up as one of ten children living in a single-room house in the tiny village of Hörnefors in northern Sweden. His performances as a teenage centre-forward for his village team caught the eye of top-flight side Degerfors, who signed him in 1940. The move to a higher level posed no problem for Nordahl, who captivated spectators with his powerful physique and thunderous shot, and continued his free-scoring form. Norrköping came calling in 1944, and the move was a huge success for both club and player: in the next four seasons, as his club won their four consecutive Allsvenskan titles, Nordahl hit an incredible 87 goals in 85 appearances, finishing as the league’s top scorer on three occasions (Gren pipped him to the honour by one goal in the other season). All of this was achieved while fulfilling his professional duties as a firefighter – professionalism was outlawed in Swedish football at the time, meaning that players needed to take day jobs to make a living.

Yet Nordahl was not the sole factor behind Norrköping’s accomplishments. He was joined in 1946 by the youngest of our trio, Nils Liedholm, who slotted in just behind Nordahl at inside-forward. Rangy, athletic, and noted for his incisive passing ability, Liedholm had followed a similar career path. He started out at his local side Valdemarsviks IF, before moving to a higher division with IK Sleipner, and then being snapped up by Czeizler at Norrköping. Earning a living by working in a lawyer’s office, Liedholm was known to train intensively in his spare time. As well as football, he practised javelin and shot put (which undoubtedly helped to develop his formidable long throw), and was even said to run across pine needles in order to strengthen his calves. While at Norrköping, Liedholm developed an almost telepathic understanding with Nordahl, providing many assists for his team-mate and averaging a goal every two games himself.

When the Olympics came round in 1948, the three had established themselves as key members of the Swedish national team. It would be the first major international football tournament in a decade, with the war having led to the cancellation of two World Cups. In charge of the Sweden side was English coach George Raynor, who had been appointed on the recommendation of FA secretary Stanley Rous. The competition was limited to amateurs only, and Raynor had the advantage of selecting from a country where professionalism had not yet taken hold. Yet the task was still a daunting one, and few gave the Swedes much hope of winning their first-round match against Austria, particularly as the Austrians had bent the rules slightly by including well-known players like Ernst Ocwirk who had played professionally. But two early goals from Nordahl set Sweden on their way to a 3-0 victory, and the crowd left White Hart Lane singing the praises of Raynor’s team.

Next they faced South Korea in the quarter-final at Selhurst Park, after the Koreans had pulled off a surprise 5-3 win over Mexico in the first round. The match was effectively over by half-time, as a goal apiece from Liedholm and Gren, plus a brace from Nordahl, gave Sweden a 4-0 lead. Yet the Swedes did not ease off in the second half, adding a further eight goals without reply – including another two for Nordahl – to seal a thumping 12-0 win. The semi-final, held at Wembley, presented a far tougher challenge in the form of rivals Denmark, who had dispatched Italy in the previous round. The Danes dominated the opening exchanges and took an early lead. Sweden found themselves with a chance to equalise after 18 minutes, but Nordahl was in an offside position as his team-mates surged forward. Realising he would not make it back onside quickly enough, the big centre-forward jumped into the goal (and therefore technically off the field of play), and Henry Carlsson’s header which sailed into the net along with him was allowed to stand. A resurgent Sweden followed this up with three further first-half goals, and Denmark could only muster a late consolation, leaving the final score at 4-2.

Yugoslavia awaited in the final, anticipating the stranglehold that Eastern Bloc countries would have over Olympic football in the coming years .The following eight tournaments were all won by Communist countries, as their players were classed as amateurs and given sham jobs by the state but allowed to train full-time. This pattern would only be broken in 1984 when professionals were finally allowed to compete. 60,000 fans packed into Wembley for the match, which took place immediately after Denmark had beaten Great Britain in the bronze medal match on the same ground. Sweden opened the scoring through Gren, but Yugoslavia equalised just before the break. Then, three minutes into the second half, Nordahl finished off a passing move that he had started himself back on the halfway line to put Sweden back in front. A Gren penalty made the scoreline 3-1, and that was how it finished. The triumph was just one among many for Sweden at the 1948 games, as their total of 16 golds put them second in the overall medal table.

Unsurprisingly, Sweden’s star men had caught the eye of scouts from countries with professional leagues, and so it was that Nordahl made the move to AC Milan. Arriving by train in January 1949, the reception he received in Milan was so frenzied – the train windows were reportedly smashed by over-eager supporters – that he hid out immediately in a hotel, fearing that he had made the wrong decision. Yet the transfer may never have happened were it not for a bizarre twist of fate. Milan had agreed to sign the Danish forward Johannes Pløger, who had netted in Denmark’s 5-3 defeat of Italy during the London games. Pløger was intercepted in Switzerland, however, by the manager of Juventus, who offered him a higher salary and convinced him to join the Turin club instead. Not long before, Juventus had expressed an interest in signing Nordahl and had received a telegram from the Swede indicating his willingness to join them, but the signing of Pløger put an end to that. All of this meant that Milan now found themselves without the Scandinavian striker they had expected, and Nordahl without the move to Italy he had been anticipating. Circumstances had conspired to bring them together, and so Nordahl found himself spearheading the AC Milan attack for the latter half of the 1948-49 season.

While Pløger struggled to make an impact in Turin (he would be shunted off to Novara just a few months later), Nordahl instantly continued his goalscoring exploits in Serie A. He notched 16 goals in 15 games, helping Milan to a third-placed finish behind Inter in second and champions Torino, who were the undisputed kings of Italian football at the time. Over the summer, Nordahl suggested to club president Toni Busini that they could be further improved by the addition of his two countrymen Liedholm and Gren, and by the appointment of Czeizler, his manager from Norrköping. These recommendations were swiftly acted upon, and the foundations were put in place for the ‘Gre-No-Li’ attack that would fire Milan to their first major success in almost half a century.

Liedholm and Gren arrived in Milan – accompanied by new Milan manager Czeizler – for the start of the 1949-50 season, at a time when Italian football was recovering from tragedy. Almost all the players of the great Torino side had died in the Superga air disaster that May, leaving a huge hole at the top of the Italian game. The two newly-signed Swedes made their Milan debuts in the first game of the season, away at Sampdoria, and their starring performances in a 3-1 Milan victory lifted the spectators’ spirits. One journalist at the game was so impressed by the displays of Liedholm and Gren that he compared the pair to Michelangelo and da Vinci.

Their early-season form was a little erratic, but by the time of the first Milan derby in early November, the club were level on points with third-placed Inter and four points behind leaders Juventus. A lightning start to the match saw Milan 4-1 up after just twenty minutes, with Liedholm and Nordahl both on the scoresheet. If Czeizler’s team were lethal going forward, though, it was not matched by solidity in defence, and Inter staged an incredible comeback to run out 6-5 winners. Renowned Italian football writer Gianni Brera pinned the blame for the defeat squarely on the Swedes, arguing that they ‘lacked tactical sense’, having continued to pour forward even when three goals up. One can imagine how harrowing the game must have been for Brera, who famously remarked that ‘the perfect game would end 0-0’.

Milan quickly recovered from this setback, however, winning 10 of their next 12 games to put themselves three points behind first-placed Juventus when the two sides met in Turin in February. Juve had triumphed 1-0 in the earlier meeting at the San Siro, and they took the lead in this encounter too, but they soon crumbled under the pressure of Milan’s relentless attacks. All three of the Swedish trio scored – with Nordahl bagging a hat-trick – as Milan routed the league leaders 7-1. Nordahl described the game years later as ‘the masterpiece of Gre-No-Li’ in which ‘we came close to perfection in our play’, adding that ‘it would be well worth the effort to do a film remake of that game in its entirety’. While Juventus may have lost the battle that day, they won the war by going on to secure the league title, finishing five points ahead of Milan in second. Nordahl was the league’s top scorer, with a record of 35 goals which has still not been matched in Serie A.

The following season, Milan picked up where they left off, winning their first 6 games and scoring 26 goals in the process. And this time they were able to achieve more consistency in their results, leading Serie A for the bulk of the season. The Swedes were integral to this success – as well as Nordahl’s goals, Milan benefitted greatly from Gren’s tactical know-how, which led to his nickname of ‘Il Professore’. Liedholm’s passing accuracy was also respected: he allegedly misplaced his first pass over a season into his Milan career, upon which the crowd broke out into applause which lasted for five minutes. The club’s strong form meant that victory in the final home game of the season, against Lazio, would guarantee the title ahead of nearest rivals Inter. Yet Lazio pulled off a surprise 2-1 win, leading to an agonising wait in the dressing-room for confirmation of the score from Inter’s game away at Torino. Brera reported that club president Busini ‘fainted like a schoolgirl’ as he waited to hear the result. Then the news came through: Torino had beaten Inter 2-1, meaning that Milan could celebrate their first scudetto since 1907. Nordahl recalled how, in the scenes that followed, ‘the tifosi jumped over the stadium fences and joined us on the pitch, carrying us on their shoulders, crazy with joy’.

It would prove to be the only league title won while all three of the ‘Gre-No-Li’ were together at Milan. After finishing as runners-up to Juventus the next season, and in third the season after, the club allowed Gren to move to Fiorentina in 1953 (although not before a brief spell as manager the previous year). Nordahl and Liedholm maintained their partnership for three more seasons, firing Milan to another scudetto in 1954-55, before Nordahl departed for Roma. During his time at Milan, Nordahl hit 210 league goals and finished as Serie A top scorer on five occasions – another record yet to be surpassed. Liedholm captained the team to a further two championships in the late fifties, as well as the 1958 European Cup final in which they lost 3-2 to Real Madrid after extra time. He finished his career at Milan in 1961, having been christened ‘Il Barone’ after marrying into the Italian nobility.

While their move to Milan was an overwhelming success, it came at a price for the three Swedes. The Swedish FA refused to allow professionals to represent the national side, meaning that they missed out on being part of the 1950 World Cup squad, which finished a creditable third in their absence. By the time of the 1958 competition, however, which was staged on home soil in Sweden, the FA had relented. The change came too late for Nordahl, who had just retired, but Liedholm and Gren – aged 35 and 37 respectively – were called up by Raynor, who had returned to manage Sweden after a spell in Italy himself. The tournament proved to be a fitting swansong for the two greats, as Sweden progressed all the way to the final, with Gren scoring in the 3-1 semi-final win over holders West Germany in his home town of Gothenburg. In the final against Brazil, Liedholm gave the hosts an early lead, but the South Americans recovered to prevail 5-2 and win the tournament for the first time. The 1958 World Cup is remembered primarily as the first step in a great career – that of Pele, who scored twice in the final aged just 17. But we should not forget that it also provided one of the final acts in two other great careers, of ‘Gre’ and ‘Li’, who were both already playing league football in Sweden when Pele was born. Nor should we forget that these two names will always sound incomplete without the addition of a ‘No’ between them.



Footage

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
Compilation of Milans season 1950-54

Sources

Spoiler

Swedish Documentary about Grenoli and Nacka
Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
Compilation of Milans season 1950-54

 

[Annahnomoss]

Sune "Mona Lisa" Andersson
Position: Right/Left half(Secondary: Inside left/right)
Height: 1.84m
Weight: 81kg
Achievements:
World Cup Bronze - 1950
Olympics Gold - 1948
Swedish Cup - 1949
Sune Andersson bore the nickname “Mona-Lisa”, because of his impenetrable facial expression when playing. In the prime of his career, he played for AIK Solna, captaining the squad from 1948 on. He was a multifunctional midfielder, and played on both sides of the field, as well as in the centre. His only prize with Solna was the 1949 Swedish Cup, but he was more successful with the national team.

He played played 28 international matches (3 goals) between 1947 and 1950, winning the gold medal in London and reaching third place in the 1950 World Cup. His performance at that tournament earned him a transfer to Italy’s Serie A, with AS Roma. He played there for two seasons, scoring 12 times.

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------141-----------
Sweden--------28------------

Peak Statistics - 1947-51
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------28-----------
Sweden--------28--
---------

Style of play
Mona Lisa was primarily known for his phenomenal passing range which he used to set up the front three from a deep position. He lacked pace but made up for it with great dribbling and consistently getting on the score sheet with his majestic shots. Offensively he'd often come in the second wave after Grenoli to open up even more options for a pass backwards which often led to goals.

He was a hard worker with great positioning in the defense and also used his height and strength to his advantage in aerial duels. For Sweden the right and left half together with the defenders were responsible of most of the defensive work.

As the opponents won the ball back the front trio would stress the opponents to force a long pass. Which was intercepted or challenged by the defenders who stepped up with extreme aggression. And then it was primarily up to the right and left half to win the second ball together with the defenders.

So Sune Anderssons height and great strength came in to use while his technique, dribbling and passing range meant he would be excellent at stealing the ball and instantly finding a forward option.


Information
Sune Andersson is former swedish legend, one of their most skillfull players in history. He possessed outstanding technique and ball control combined with phenomenal passing especially on long distances which regularly broke the defence and led to goals. Sune had great dribbling and powerful shot, his trademarks were sharp 30-35 yards free kicks. Lanky player, lacked the pace, but compensated with excellent vision, footwork, tactical awareness and game reading.

Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson.


Fullständigt namn: Sune Isidor Andersson.
Smeknamn: Mona-Lisa (efter sitt gåtfulla leende, detta smeknamn användes mest i media och bland supportrar, bland lagkamrater kallades han Sune).
Född: 22 februari 1921 i Södertälje.
Död: 29 april 2002 i Solna.
Bott: Södertälje (1921-25), Ekerö (1925-), Stockholm, Rom, Stockholm-Solna.
Familj: Barnen Ola (född 1950) och Ove (född 1957).
Moderklubb: Ekerö IK.
Allsvenska AIK-matcher: 82 (+ 30 i IFK Eskilstuna).
Allsvenska AIK-mål: 18 (+ 2 i IFK Eskilstuna).
Ligamatcher i Italien: 59 (i AS Roma).
Ligamål i Italien: 12 (i AS Roma).
Allsvensk AIK-debut: 1 september 1946 (IS Halmia-AIK, 0-0).
Första allsvenska AIK-mål: 8 september 1946 (AIK-Degerfors IF 2-1, Sune gjorde 1-0 i 13:e minuten efter att hans skott styrts i mål av en Degerfors-försvarare).
Utvisningar: Inga.
Position: Högerhalv, vänsterhalv, center.
Allsvenska säsonger i AIK: 4
Lagkapten i AIK: 1948-50.
Svensk Cupmästare: 1949.
A-landskamper: 28 (1947-50, 3 mål).
Stor Grabb: 1948.
Olympisk mästare: 1948 i London.
VM-bronsmedaljör: 1950 i Brasilien.

Spelarkarriär:
Ekerö IK (1934-39).
Hagalunds IS (1939-1946).
AIK (1946-50)
AS Roma (1950-52).
IFK Eskilstuna (1956-58).
Kalmar FF (1959-61).
Finspångs AIK (1962-63).
Södertälje SK (1964-67).
Hagalunds IS (1968-71).

Tränarkarriär:
Iggesunds IK (1953-55).
IFK Eskilstuna (1955-58).
Kalmar FF (1959-61).
Finspångs AIK (1962-63).
Södertälje SK (1964-67).
Hagalunds IS (1968-71).

Matcher och mål i AIK
Säsong Allsvenskan
1946-47 17 3
1947-48 22 8
1948-49 21 4
1949-50 22 3
Totalt 82 18
Matchstatistik
Allsvenskan 82 42 14 26 168-127 98 1,20 p/match

AIK the Swedish Cup winner team from 1949. Standing from the left Putte Kock, Gösta "Pröjsarn" Nilsson, Ivan Bodin, Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson, Börje Leander, Lennart Pettersson, Bertil Bäckvall, Herbert "Banken" Ohlsson. Kneeling from the left: Hans Möller, Harry Nilsson, Gustav Sjöberg, Lenna

Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson was the team captain for AIK between 48-50 and here he's shaking hands with the Chelsea captain.

At the start of the fall in 1946, a tall lanky 25 year old makes his debut for AIK, as an inside right. From behind the goalkeeper "Gurra" Sjöbergs goal us kids watched him, Sune Andersson from Hagalund.

It didn't take long before he was a fan favorite, his tricks and dribblings took the fans by storm. Most of the footballers at the time had nicknames and Sune came to be called Mona Lisa for his pokerface that never left his face.

Just a year after his debut he was included in the national team where he was played a massive part in the team until moved to Rome in 1950.

Olympics gold in London

Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson.

Sune had made been moved down to left/right half which had got the best of him. He was even able to play as a defender Börje Leander was out for a game. He had a game sense and a precision in the passes that made him shine from a deeper role as he with a cross field pass would open an entire defense. He wasn't the fastest player, but there was no doubt that he was a world class player.

His delicate touch and passes wasn't all he could do with the ball. A day at the start of May in 1949, AIK were playing Malmö FF. AIK had got a freekick slightly to the right of the pitch, from 30 metres and Mona Lisa sent a cannon slightly swerved straight in to the top corner. Not a surprise for the fans who knew him for his long range missiles and wel placed free kicks.

Bronze in Rio, World Cup

Sune "Mona-Lisa" Andersson for Sweden.

Sune stayed in the Swedish league up until the 1950 World cup in Brazil and after the bronze he moved to Roma in Italy, after which he wasn't allowed to play any more for the national side as they banned professionals at the time.

He had time to play 28 games for Sweden through the years and established himself as a key player for one of the great sides in history.

When he came back from Italy he became the playing manager for Eskilstuna-Kamraterna, but he had declined as his body was keeping him back. But he still showed glimpses to the fans of what made him a star not long ago.

• About Sune Anderssons from Alfa-bild 1949:
  "One of the biggest technical talents in Swedish football with an allround gift beyond the usual. A big entertainer but still a leader and inspiring to his teammates. His speciality? Free kicks and penalties."

Footage

Spoiler

Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)

Sources

Spoiler

Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)
http://www.aik.se/fotboll/historik/500aikare/suneande.html

Birger "Bian" Rosengren
Position: Left/Right half
Height: 1.78
Weight: 76 kg
Achievements:
Olympic Gold & Captain 1948
Swedish Footballer of the year 1947
Allsvenskan - 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948

Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------504-----------
Sweden--------33------------

Peak Statistics - 1945-48
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------121-----------
Sweden--------16------------
Total-----------137-----------

Captain of the Swedish 1948 Olympics side which featured some of the best players in history. He was incredibly useful and complementary to the team and highly valued by Raynor who chose him to captain the side.

After the final, victorious, he is carried off the field by his teammates to be the first to celebrate the Gold medal.


Style of play
Previously the highly skillful Kjell Rosén had made the role his own, but Raynor moved him out wide and chose Rosengren as the defensive right half. He wasn't at all the typical Swedish player at the time, he lacked the flair, the showmanship and instead he brought balance to the side. Raynor had been looking for someone who could allow the teams offensive players to move forward without the team being exposed backwards and that man was Rosengren.

With his great leadership, tenacity and no nonsense play style he was after just a few game appointed as the captain of the side. Some may think it is a bit odd as Åke "Bajdoff" Johansson is an easier sell and Kjell Rosén would have been the flashier name.

But Rosengren was such a strong leader, captaining his club side as well and the perfect destroyer to partner a great player like Mona-Lisa. Mona Lisa Andersson already had a fantastic passing range, dribbling and close to a perfect touch.

His mentality was important to the team and against Yugoslavia you could argue it was his leadership that scored the 3-1 goal. Bertil Nordahl was injured, covered in blood, from a challenge by Stankovic who got sent off. But the Yugoslavians were looking to abuse the 10 vs 10 advantage they had from Nordahl being taken care of on the sidelines.

Rosengren shouted at Raynor to bring in the battered Nordahl no matter what, and so they did tossing away the bandage that was causing problems. Just for him to enter the pitch, make a tackle, start a counter attack that leads to 3-1.

Information


Footage

Spoiler

Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)

Sources

Spoiler

http://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/landslagsdatabas/landslagsspelare/?fplid=658341
http://callerockbackssport.blogspot.se/2008/09/henke-larsson-i-bortglmda-bians-roll.html

 

[Annahnomoss]

Bengt "Julle" Gustavsson
Position: Defender(CB/SB/DM)
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 81kg
Achievements:
Swedish player of the year - 1953
Allsvenskan - 1948, 1952, 1956
World Cup Silver - 1958


Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------292-----------
Sweden--------57------------

Peak Statistics - 1958-61
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------292-----------
Sweden--------57--
---------
By the end of the year, Dr. Becker had prepared his book on the 1958 World Cup called “Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1958” and taken from that book is the following excerpt which again tackles the best players of the tournament, based on his own opinion and that of various journalists he met in Sweden.

The best centre half of the tournament was according “Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1958” none other than Bengt Gustavsson.

In the Ballon d'Or the same year he was nomineed and had as many votes as Yashin, Suarez and settled himself as one of the very finest centre backs of the season.

Style of play

The Swedish defenders in George Raynors side played a simple game, but the beauty was in how perfect they played it. Their job was massive and they had nearly all defensive responsibility in the team. The two wingers and the strikers tried to force a long pass from the opponents and it was up to the defenders to make sure that turned to a won ball for the Swedes.

Gustavsson had decent technique and ball playing ability but it was as a pure stopper that he shined. As soon as the opponents played a longer ball towards the striker, Gustavsson would read the play before it happened and started bombarding forward to close down the space. And just as the opponent received the ball, 81 kg of steel at full speed put in a brutal tackle to force a weak first touch or to win the ball.

Against Soviet the Swedish defense with Gustavsson in the lead repeated this simple trick repeatedly and completely shut down the great Soviet attack completely over the course of the game.

A combination of reading when the pass would be played, fantastic pace and recovery pace and then a mighty strength and a well precision tackled was all he needed. The back three tended to all have this balance to their game combined with a great aerial ability to close down the chance for aerial balls leading to something.

Information

The second highest ranked centre half after Wright in Ballon d'Or in 1958 and one of the best European defenders of the 50's. Gustavsson is one of the most elegant center halves in the Swedish national team football. He utilized good technique and excellent sense of positioning to solve problems. He started to play as wing half but was soon moved to defence where he showed his excellent skills. Very strong and elegant, strong in air, good tackler with solid pace. As a player in 1958 and Vice World Champion with IFK Norrköping three times Swedish Champion. As a coach he founded in the late 1960s the golden era of Åtvidabergs FF. Bengt Gustavsson came in 1947 from his hometown club Gusum to its peak time IFK Norrkoping where he ended the era of the Hungarian coach Lajos Czeizler from 1949 to the AC Milan exchanged Gunnar Nordahl was replaced in midfield.

In his first game against AIK, he also scored three hits. From 1950, the Austrian Karl Adamek was the coach of the club but it converted to a defender. Norrköping in 1948, 1952 and 1956 national champion in 1953 and reached the cup final. In October 1951, Bengt Gustavsson made his debut in the Swedish national team in a 1-3 defeat against Denmark in Copenhagen in the last game of the tournament at the Nordic Championships from 1948 to 1951 that Sweden finished yet as the winner. The following year he took part in Sweden at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, where she won after a 0-6 semi-final defeat against the emerging Golden Team of Hungary with a 2-0 victory over Germany the bronze medal.

In 1953, Gustavsson won the Swedish footballer of the year. For the season 1956/57 he joined Atalanta Bergamo in the Italian Serie A. Here he was instantly recognizable as the libero defensive support his team. In 1958, he rose with Atalanta in Serie B, but rose immediately under the Austrian Karl Adamek, who also worked for a year, again. Gustavsson 1958 was on the side of the other Italian legionnaires Gunnar Nordahl, Nils Liedholm and Gunnar Gren-team regular for the national team was at the Football World Cup 1958 after a 2:5-final defeat by Brazil in Stockholm runner-up.


Footage
Sources

Spoiler

http://svenskfotboll.se/arkiv/landslag/2017/02/bengt-julle-gustavsson-har-gatt-bort/
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengt_Gustavsson

Orvar Bergmark
Position: Defender(RCB, CB, RB)
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 75 kg
Achievements:
World Cup Silver - 1958
All star team - 1958 - Best RB of the tournament
World XI - 1960, 1961 - Best RB in the world


Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------293-----------
Sweden--------94------------

Peak Statistics - 1958-61
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------293-----------
Sweden--------94----
--------

The highest rated right back in the 1958 Ballon d'Or and the second best right back of the tournament behind Djalma Santos according to “Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1958”. Through his career he was often considered the best right back in the world and without a doubt one of the best of his era.



----------------------------------------1960

-----------------------------------------1961

Style of play
With his great reading of the game he knew exactly when to push forward aggressively to win the ball back for the team before the forward got to touch it unchallenged. Simple, but he excelled at exactly that with a remarkable mix of strength, pace, acceleration and ability to recover back to his position after a tackle.

Orvars defensive game was described as modern as he loved to support the winger, he had a pace and stamina which allowed him to act over large areas. His positioning meant he was always in the right place and he had a way of contorting himself to make perfect tackles and it earned him a world reknowned ability of getting a toe on the most balls even when he ran behind them.

Against Soviet in '58 he put on a masterclass, with the Swedish defense, and won the ball back before they could establish an attack almost every time. It is fascinating that a relatively simple player was rated so highly and it is proof of how efficient and solid he was.

Information
ORVAR BERGMARK - MISTER ÖREBRO SK

Orvar Bergmark is Örebros all time most merited athlete with his mindblowing achievments. In 1957 he won bronze in the World Cup in Bandy, a year later he won silver in the World Cup in football and was considered as arguably the best right back many years between 1958 to 1961. Part of the team of the tournament in 1958 as the best right back of the tournament and part of the World XI in 1960 and 1961.

He earned himself 143 caps for Sweden in football, 94 as a player and 49 as the manager between 65-70. While at the same time he made 20 appearances for the national team in Bandy between 49-62.

For Örebro he played 290 football matches and 147 in Bandy where he became the Swedish Champion three times and won the Stor Grabb award in both football and bandy.

A young Orvar Bergmark.
Orvar came to Örebro from Byske in Västerbotten a rainy day in the fall of 1947. The reason he moved there of all places was that he had relatives of his mother, Signe, in the city.

-In 1946 I was 16 years old and my dad who was a baker in Byske died. My mother, I and my sisters had a hard time finding a life there. The town just had 1.500 inhabitants and just 4 bakeries. That's why we searched for a place where we could start over and by fall a year later they moved to Örebro.

It was sunday and I still remember that Örebro had played Surahammer that day and won with 2-0. To this day I can still see the headlines of the Monday newspapers in front of me.

We moved in to an apartment on Sveavägen, a short walk from the Örebro stadium, Eyravallen. I joined the bandy side thanks to my cousin Olle Sääw who made sure I could join the team and by the end of the winter I was told if I could play bandy I could play football.
He joined their junior side and was instantly one of their best goalscorers with 26 goals in 16 matches in 1948. The year after Örebro were doing poorly and needed a change and they looked to the youth to add some energy to the team.

Orvar was supposed to make the debut against Gunnar Gren's Göteborg but a last minute injury meant he had to dely it until the game against Helsingborg.

Orvar Bergmark 1958, after he received guldbollen.¨

Orvar couldn't save them from relegation and it took until 1950 until they'd return to the top league. At the start of the season he was played as a striker, but the team was doing poorly and changed the coach. Per Kaufeldt came in and he had a lot of fresh ideas, like moving Orvar to the defensive line. The entire team were performing better and could avoid relegation. But Orvar was still so impressive that Putte Kock, the national team leader, called him up and had him make his debut against Spain.

-I started on the bench but they allowed subs in case someone got injured and in half time I was called down. I had to replace the Helsingborg defender Malmström who had pain in his back and couldn't continue. The debut went alright, especially because I had Gösta Lindh in front of me who was a father figure for me at ÖSK. We complemented each other well and he's the best partner I've ever had down the right.

Orvar established himself as a quality player and remained in the national side. He also stayed at Örebro until they got relegated once more and he had to change team if he wanted to keep his spot for Sweden.

Orvar Bergmark for AIK 1955.

It didn't take long before he returned to his home club Örebro as he never felt that AIK could provide him with what he had there. There he could come and go as he wanted to train during the day and the brotherhood was a lot stronger.

Orvar as a bandy player.

1958, World Cup
-The best game we played was against Soviet. We had lost to them big the last two games we played before the World Cup. They had a winger called Tatusjin who knew it all and it was the most difficult winger to face for me.

After the semi final win we were celebrated as champions already and the train stayed at every stop with the people celebrating us. It is possible that we felt like we had done more than enough already after that.

Orvar Bergmark with his wife and child on their way to Roma.



Footage

Spoiler

(Highlight vs West Germany)
(Sweden vs USSR highlight '58)
(Sweden vs Hungary highlight '58)

Sources

Spoiler

http://www.aik.se/fotboll/historik/500aikare/orvaberg.html
http://www.expressen.se/sport/fotboll/varldens-basta-back-ar-dod/

Erik Nilsson
Position: Defender(LCB, CB, LCB)
Height: 182
Weight: 84
Achievements:
Olympic Gold - 1948
Olympic Bronze - 1952
Swedish Footballer of the year 1950
World Cup Bronze - 1950
World Cup 4th - 1938
Team of the tournament - 1950 World Cup
Allsvenskan - 1943–44, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53
Division 2 Södra - 1934–35, 1935–36
Swedish Cup - 1944, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1953


Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------326---------
Sweden--------57------------

Peak Statistics - 1947-51
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------326---------
Sweden--------57---

Included in the team of the tournament in the World Cup in 1950 as the best left back. And he was in his peak in 1948 even more remarkable. He was named the Swedish player of the year in 1950 for his achievements in the World Cup. To Raynor he was considered one of he big stars with Grenoli etc.

The best Swedish left back of all time and one of the very best of his time with the likes of Branko Stankovic.

Style of play

Nilsson was a very consistent left back and due to his impressive physique, which he got from wrestling, he straight up scared his opponents, some teams even threatened Malmö that they wouldn't play friendly games against them if Nilsson would be on the pitch. He was a real captain and a leader, with good positioning and tactical awareness but also decent ball control. He was part of Olympic gold in 1948 in London, World Championship bronze in 1950 and Olympic bronze in Helsinki 1952.

Witnesses of his games remembers "How we enjoyed when the opponents right winger got the ball at his feet and in panic got rid of it not to get hit by the train. How we laughed when Erik, with a smile on his face went for a tackle on the horrified winger and stole the ball from him like stealing candy from a disobedient kid."

In one game, Sweden were being obliterated until Erik Nilsson took command and started directing the entire Swedish defense on his own and leading by example, to pull the team up from the mud.

Information


Heavenly blue legend - Erik Nilsson - The captain of his teammates and nightmare of his opponents.

We're in the middle of the 40's joyful month may. It is Sunday and the clock is approaching the classical kick off time, 13.30. The youth have spent the last couple of hours at the Gamla IP, watching the junior sides outplay their opponents. The May sun is smiling, the heaven is lightblue like Öresdund can be when the spring slowly turns to summer.

The Malmö FF orchestra has marched to the player tunnel to welcome the team by playing Colonel Bogey. The workers from Kockums and other places has taken over the stadium to reward themselves for the weeks hard work. So that they once more could see their MFF make their days. The smell of cigarette, freshly cut grass, sunwarm tere and the coffee from the thermoses of the elder men, mixed with the smell of the hot dog stand.

Together it forms an euphoria that is impossible to beat. The speaker is loud and they tell us that everybody has to move to the centre to get everybody in. It is completely crowded with kids selling the match program.

On the field first is the away team like custom was back then. Always a bit hesitant as if they wanted to hide for a little longer inside the locker rooms. Like they were hopeless facing the mighty Malmö FF.

Everybody is searching for the man with the unlucky number. The man with a 7 at his back, who is always the most pale and tense. But why that anxiety you may wonder? The answer comes out of the player tunnel not long after. Wearing number 3 a beast, full of authority walks out, a physical specimen and the team captain, Erik Nilsson

At the time the roles were simpler to due the man marking, you were dealing with one opponent in a way you don't in the modern game. The goal of the right winger was to deal with the left back.

How we laughed at the poor right wingers who had to face Erik Nilsson. He imposed himself in a way that had the opponent scared of even entering the next duel.

Eriks enormous physique came from his great genes and he was also a healthy man and the perfect professional. He didn't drink with the rest of the teammates, not even after a gold.

A typical day in his life consisted of an early bike ride to his work and after work he went straight to the stadium to train. But he didn't just train with the seniors, he often came so early that he also trained with the junior side as well. After that he went to train wrestling and all together it made for a defender full of power, balance and stamina.

At a stamina test he took an early lead and finished first, while the other players had to be picked up by cars to reach the destination. Erik was furious at his teammates after and told them how poorly trained they were. It went so far that the players went in to the coach and told him that they didn't want Erik to lead the stamina practices any more.

But it didn't take long until he reversed that decision as they fell short against Djurgården. He wasn't just a leader by example, there's countless of stories about him showing his leadership abilities. At the World Cup in 1950 Stellan Nilsson and Nacka Skoglund were going out to party - but at the gate they met Erik Nilsson who carried the two left wingers back to where they belonged.

Footage

Spoiler

Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)

Spoiler

Sources

Spoiler

Sweden 3-3 Denmark
Sweden 5-3 Norway(x5 Nordahl)

Kalle "Rio-Kalle" Svensson
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Achievements:
Olympic Gold - 1948
Olympic Bronze - 1952
World Cup Bronze - 1950
World Cup 4th - 1938



Career Statistics
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------349---------
Sweden--------73------------

Peak Statistics - 1950-58-------
Team--------Matches-------
Club------------349---------
Sweden--------73-

Kalle Svensson is one of the greatest Swedish goalkeepers of all time and was a consistent part of the most successful period in Swedish football. Between 1948 to 1958 he was part of four campaigns that led to two Bronze, one silver and one gold.

Style of play

A great classical keeper known for his positioning, consistency and fantastic saves from the line. Funnily he got his nickname Rio-Kalle from a game in São Paulo where in the last minute he made a crucial and absolutely impossible save, but as São Paulo-Kalle would be too hard to pronounce they went with Rio-Kalle instead.

Information

In the early days of football keepers could be considered a special kind of stars for some, as the last man between a goal and a save. In Sweden one of the notorious ones were Rio-Kalle who was an elegant shot stopper.

Kalle was a boy who came through the small clubs in Helsingborg and would go on to become one of the many legendary keepers for Helsingborgs IF. Even though he grew to become a famous figure he never lost touch with where he came from his friends said.

His name was Karl Oskar Svensson, born the 11th Novemenber in 1925 in Västerlov who ended up with 73 caps, two World Cup and Olympic medals to his name.

Kalle was born in Hanaskog, the youngest of a large family, and started his career for Kullavägens BK. As an 18 year old he went to Helsingborgs IF and played 349 games for them between 1943-62. The debut came when he was just 18 years, 6 months and 24 days old.

Just 3 years later he made his debut for the national team against England on Råsunda where Sweden won with 3-1. Outside of the Helsingborg arena, Olympia, a statue of Rio Kalle stands, created by Risto Karvinen.

The last goal he conceded was scored by Bo Borg in the 87th minute against Malmö when he was almost 37 years old.

Career: Kullavägens BK (1940-43), Helsingborgs IF (43-59), Gunnarstorps IF (59–61) (Also as a coach) och Helsingborgs IF (61-62).

Footage
Sources

Spoiler

sverigesradio.se
sv.wikipedia.org
alltomhif.se
2.idrottonline.seaftonbladet.se

 

[Annahnomoss]

@Šjor Bepo @Physiocrat Thanks a lot for letting me present my team, good luck!

 

[Šjor Bepo]

@Šjor Bepo @Physiocrat Thanks a lot for letting me present my team, good luck!

you should win for pure effort if not for anything else, brilliant work.

 

[Annahnomoss]

you should win for pure effort if not for anything else, brilliant work.

Thanks a lot mate. Just wanted to show the research and tell the story of the rather unknown Swedish side that was so extremely dominant in this period. Sort of my own fault for not doing this before.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

What happened to the game thread structure? Formations next to each other? Only links to player profiles? Concise writeup?

That's some bit of effort Annah. Hats off!

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Will probably read the whole essay after Chelsea game but until then here is a gif match compilation for Beckenbauer against Soviets. Prior to this draft i only watched him in defense but after i saw one video of him playing in 66 i fell in love and decided to build around that version.
I assumed surely im not the only one that didnt saw him in midfield so it seemed like a good idea to show his general play and not only highlights of his best moves.
Kaiser vs Soviets First Half

Spoiler: Picking up a lose ball and maintaining possession

Spoiler: Failed run

Spoiler: Keeping the ball

Spoiler: Staying back and providing cover for his midfield partner, winning a defensive header in the process

Spoiler: Winning a ball in the middle

Spoiler: Showing how developed his footballing brain was even at young age, great defensive movement and decision making

Spoiler: Another defensive header

Spoiler: Going on one of his famous runs, stopped by a goal saving foul....

Spoiler: Winning possession twice within few seconds, german Kante.

Spoiler: Starting the attack from deep

Spoiler: Losing aerial duel

Spoiler: feck me, like doing gifs for Vidic...another defensive header.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Kaiser vs Soviets Second Half

Spoiler: Central figure of the attack

Spoiler: Nice one two but overplayed it in the end

Spoiler: Interception in his own half, one two and off he goes...

Spoiler: Calm head in his own box

Spoiler: Nice little outside of the foot pass

Spoiler: Little run and misunderstanding with Seeler

Spoiler: Sliding tackle

Spoiler: Keeping attack alive with a decent touch, passes to Seeler who then loses possession

Spoiler: Playing from the back

Spoiler: What a goal with his weaker foot against Yashin....

Spoiler: Someone got too cocky after the goal...

Spoiler: Attacking the space better then Jonesy

Spoiler: Little possession spell

Spoiler: Drilled pass for Seeler

Spoiler: For once on the other end of a one two

Spoiler: Going for another one two....

Spoiler: Winning possession with interception and going for another one two with Seeler, i hate you EAP!

 

[Raees]

Great effort guys, this is not one for the faint hearted haha!

 

[Annahnomoss]

What happened to the game thread structure? Formations next to each other? Only links to player profiles? Concise writeup?

That's some bit of effort Annah. Hats off!

Thanks mate! Sjor was nice enough to give me some freedom with this as it was quite a different thing from the usual drafts. So thanks a lot to him! For the player profiles it is best if they are part of the write up at worst in the thread if you prefer it. They are key in this draft where you have to explain the performances they had at their tournament. It isn't common knowledge like "Who is Lothar Matthäus".

 

[Moby]

Great effort Annah!

 

[Annahnomoss]

It is so interesting that you chose a team based around Hidegkuti who I also mention in the write up. It is a shame that Gusztav Sebes isn't given more credit for the way he lined up. Hungary were unstoppable at a certain point primarily because of the tactical genius of Sebes. They also tore through the Swedes the first time they played, even if it was the 1952 Olympics squad that was more a reserve side without Grenoli, Skoglund and before Hamrin. Here's the story of how Raynor adjusted to it, and he even called up England and had they listened to his advice "The Game of the Century" would have had a different outcome.

"Typically pragmatic and tactically astute, Raynor could see what went wrong in that game for Sweden. Whilst Hungary did have the best team in the world at that time, it was also their fluid style of play, creative outlets and early leaning’s towards total football which made them the force they were. When he faced the Hungarians again a year later, this time in Budapest, Raynor joked that he would paint the Stalin statue moustaches red should Sweden win the game. The Swedes earned themselves a hugely creditable 2-2 draw, against a Hungary side who were now unbeaten in 4 years, and Raynor’s side even hit the post in the final minute of the game.

Still with his heart set on domestic success and a future with the England team, Raynor took the opportunity to call the England manager Walter Winterbottom, and inform him of his method of success and what he had learned from playing the Hungarians, as England prepared to host Hungary in November. Raynor told Winterbottom that Nandor Hidegkuti was the linchpin to Hungary’s attack. Playing in a withdrawn role, he was the creative force of the team, and the only way to stop him without your defenders being drawn out of position was through man-marking him.

His suggestions were ignored, and borderline mocked. One FA member reportedly asked Raynor, “Can you really expect us to ask Stanley Matthews to track back?”. England lost the game 6-3, in what became known as ‘The Game of the Century’; Hidegkuti scored a hat-trick and baffled the England defence in the process. The return fixture was lost 7-1, Hidegkuti once more controlling the affair. Raynor would have to become used to being overlooked and ignored by England as his career progressed, regardless of the enormity of his success."

Also sort of unrelated but a stupid fun fact. June 19th, 1949 Hungary and Sweden played with Puskas coming off the bench and Nordahl not taking part at all. It ended in a 2-2 draw and was one of the last games before Grenoli and Skoglund became professionals and ineligible for the national team.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Julinho would be awesome on the right Sjor/Physio. One of my personal favorites and it is just an iconic battle between Hamrin and his predecessor Julinho. The Florence based club were on the look out for a new talent having just released not only their right winger but the player nominated in 1996 as the best player in the entire history of Fiorentina. The great Julinho was a right winger from Brazil whose talent was such that had it not been for the ban on professional players attending World Cups, reputedly he would have been ahead of Garrincha in the pecking order of the Brazilian national team of 1950. Julinho was a god in Florence having taken Fiorentina to new heights securing the club's first ever scudetto in 1955-56 as well as taking them all the way to the European Cup final in 1956-57. Objectively one could say that these would not be easy boots to fill.

It would take a special player to take up Julinho's mantle, the sort of player required would have to be one who themselves could prove capable of etching an indelible mark onto the collective canvas known as Fiorentinas history. Whether that task was figurative or based in reality, one can say with absolute certainty that Kurt Hamrin not only rose to that challenge but matched and perhaps in some quarters would even be considered to have surpassed the staggering precedents that had been set for him.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Spoiler

Great effort Annah!

Cheers mate.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Congrats on the fine side guys. Hidegkuti was my dream opponent and that side takes advantage of his role with Cubillas just behind him. I'm happy that Raynor got his ass kicked and then adjusted the tactics of his team and in the rematch Orvar Bergmark and Bengt Gustavsson in particular dealt with Hidegkuti in the 2-2 match. Player for player the Hungarian side was far superior with the Swedish ban on professionals so it was a tactical victory for Raynor to get a result there.

One of the main battles of that game was surely Gustavsson VS Hidegkuti. So I believe he'd be up for a repeat here and he would definitely not be shook from the movement of Hidegkuti.

 

[Annahnomoss]

If there is anything you'd like to clarify tactics wise then this game shows how the defense works in reality. Important to remember that it is somewhat of a retirement side with no Nordahl and an aged Gren/Liedholm. Erik Nilsson is also not playing and he is maybe the best defender in my side, part of the team of the tournament in 1950. Also slightly differnet setup but nevertheless the same philosophy.

Spoiler

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Think you are adding to much attention to a friendly game tbh not to mention this is a totally different side and setup to that Hungary side.
This side isnt built around Hidegkuti, it isnt built around anyone but if i had to choose one player id pick Kaiser not Nandor but thats not important....
But lets decide to play the game, so if i understood it correctly Gustavsson(CB) is going to man mark him? When Hidegkuti drops deep he will follow him which is exactly what id want, drawing your defender out of position. If Gustavsson stops him ok, i can play without Hidegkuti faced towards goal and his dribbling/passing abilities as i have Iniesta in the team to do just that. Id still get him playing his role in one twos + other attackers will have much more space against your other defenders + he would open the gap for Cubillas/Kaiser/Julinho even if he was stopped completely on the ball.

Im pretty confident my team would won the possession battle, saying that id love to hear your plan on how to stop Iniesta who is comfortably the best player on the pitch, both on talent and tournament performance. You are sacrificing one of three defenders for Hidegkuti but there are also 3 of my other attackers left + Beckenbauer who loved a good offensive run but lets ignore Kaiser for now. There will be space for my players and all of them have the talent to exploit him.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Think you are adding to much attention to a friendly game tbh not to mention this is a totally different side and setup to that Hungary side.
This side isnt built around Hidegkuti, it isnt built around anyone but if i had to choose one player id pick Kaiser not Nandor but thats not important....
But lets decide to play the game, so if i understood it correctly Gustavsson(CB) is going to man mark him? When Hidegkuti drops deep he will follow him which is exactly what id want, drawing your defender out of position. If Gustavsson stops him ok, i can play without Hidegkuti faced towards goal and his dribbling/passing abilities as i have Iniesta in the team to do just that. Id still get him playing his role in one twos + other attackers will have much more space against your other defenders + he would open the gap for Cubillas/Kaiser/Julinho even if he was stopped completely on the ball.

Im pretty confident my team would won the possession battle, saying that id love to hear your plan on how to stop Iniesta who is comfortably the best player on the pitch, both on talent and tournament performance. You are sacrificing one of three defenders for Hidegkuti but there are also 3 of my other attackers left + Beckenbauer who loved a good offensive run but lets ignore Kaiser for now. There will be space for my players and all of them have the talent to exploit him.

Just saying that the first time you face Hidegkuti and the Magyars you get roasted. But after that it isn't quite the same story and a more even one. I.e a player from the pre war era would have no chance against the tactical innovation that was Hidegkuti. Not saying Gustavsson would win the battle, just that after the tactical adjustments it was an even game.

I also think you'd have more possession as this side is extremely direct and wildly attacking. With four fantastic ball carrying dribblers in Skoglund/Liedholm/Gren/Hamrin the side would be playing risk taking football.

Liedholm and Gren were inside the box as the attacks ended in 1948 and for Milan and they'd be doing that here too.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Think you are adding to much attention to a friendly game tbh not to mention this is a totally different side and setup to that Hungary side.
This side isnt built around Hidegkuti, it isnt built around anyone but if i had to choose one player id pick Kaiser not Nandor but thats not important....
But lets decide to play the game, so if i understood it correctly Gustavsson(CB) is going to man mark him? When Hidegkuti drops deep he will follow him which is exactly what id want, drawing your defender out of position. If Gustavsson stops him ok, i can play without Hidegkuti faced towards goal and his dribbling/passing abilities as i have Iniesta in the team to do just that. Id still get him playing his role in one twos + other attackers will have much more space against your other defenders + he would open the gap for Cubillas/Kaiser/Julinho even if he was stopped completely on the ball.

The defense is built around winning the ball back as soon as possible. Hamrin, Skoglund and Nordahl would force a longer pass from the defense while the defenders aggressively pushed forward to make sure no ball was received without a full force tackle, which was something only a player like Pele could deal with. Because he had absolute world class balance, strength and a first touch of gold and he'd remain in just enough balance to control the ball.

Also man marking from the post Magyar era was not what you'd see in Catenaccio at times or the earlier years. You didn't see Bergmark cross the pitch to follow his winger around the entire pitch, it was more aching to a zonal man marking. In the same way you wouldn't see Liedholm stuck to his right half all around the field. There was a lot more structure to it than just a pure man chase a la Gentile.

If you watch some snips of the USSR game I posted you will see how it worked. If they didn't win the ball back right of the bat then the midfield square would often become almost flat with the inside right and left often being inside the box awaiting crosses/plays. With Liedholm/Gren in positions you could compare to todays centre midfielders. They'd also enter the box at times in the defense to clear crosses or plays.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

The defense is built around winning the ball back as soon as possible. Hamrin, Skoglund and Nordahl would force a longer pass from the defense while the defenders aggressively pushed forward to make sure no ball was received without a full force tackle, which was something only a player like Pele could deal with. Because he had absolute world class balance, strength and a first touch of gold and he'd remain in just enough balance to control the ball.

Also man marking from the post Magyar era was not what you'd see in Catenaccio at times or the earlier years. You didn't see Bergmark cross the pitch to follow his winger around the entire pitch, it was more aching to a zonal man marking. In the same way you wouldn't see Liedholm stuck to his right half all around the field. There was a lot more structure to it than just a pure man chase a la Gentile.

If you watch some snips of the USSR game I posted you will see how it worked. If they didn't win the ball back right of the bat then the midfield square would often become almost flat with the inside right and left often being inside the box awaiting crosses/plays. With Liedholm/Gren in positions you could compare to todays centre midfielders. They'd also enter the box at times in the defense to clear crosses or plays.

Think we are reaching the problem of different eras so it would be hard to compare but i dont see nor expect going for a long pass, specially with the quality of players at the back. Figueroa and Lahm are class on the ball, Zhirkov was decent, Coluna and Kaiser are in league of their own so getting the ball up wont be a problem.

Hard to imagine tbh, i mean i know what you are saying but false nine is making problems for teams even in today's game where everyone is more advanced tactically, so i have no doubt Hidegkuti would find a balance of drawing Gustavsson out near the edge of the area and having more time and space to float around and combine with others and help with possession.

The midfield battle would be interesting but i reckon having someone like Iniesta is a huge advantage as they didnt have that type of player back then....

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

@Annahnomoss holy christmas that is an epic write-up! I realize you wrote it for more than just this match but that his just impressive mate!

I just want to reply to this first

Sadly, with all three now at AC Milan, Sweden’s strict amateur-only policy meant the trio were not allowed to be part of Raynor’s squad for the tournament in Brazil.

I came across this amateur only policy with the Netherlands this draft and its really unfortunate. It robbed of the game of a lot of great potential NTs in tournaments sadly. I came across some great Dutch players of this era like Abe Lenstra and Faas Wilkes. Wilkes had something like 35 goals in 38 NT matches with 3 goals in his only 2 Olympic matches. Would have been great to see some of those in the World Cups. Really a shame that era could have had more footage available for us junkies !

 

[Annahnomoss]

Think we are reaching the problem of different eras so it would be hard to compare but i dont see nor expect going for a long pass, specially with the quality of players at the back. Figueroa and Lahm are class on the ball, Zhirkov was decent, Coluna and Kaiser are in league of their own so getting the ball up wont be a problem.

Hard to imagine tbh, i mean i know what you are saying but false nine is making problems for teams even in today's game where everyone is more advanced tactically, so i have no doubt Hidegkuti would find a balance of drawing Gustavsson out near the edge of the area and having more time and space to float around and combine with others and help with possession.

The midfield battle would be interesting but i reckon having someone like Iniesta is a huge advantage as they didnt have that type of player back then....

Hidegkuti was a master at doing just that so you are right. Fantastic player who'd be far from nullified by Gustavsson and Raynors previous experience with him. I'm happy with people realizing Gustavsson did a great job against him when they played and that is something he is capable of.

Definitely a clash of eras. But the WM was sort of excellent at closing out space in the middle with a congested square there and the three forwards trying to force a longer pass down the side of the midfield battle. Which would be balls to Hidegkuti/Julinho/Cubillas and at times Iniesta too.

I have mixed feelings about facing Iniesta. On one hand Orvar Bergmark is ideal as a man to man opponent on the righthand flank and I can't see Iniesta beating him down the wing very often. The congest midfield and Bian Rosengren, the captain and destroyer being positioned there should negate Iniestas damage when he cuts in from the wing. He also isn't providing you with that number superiority like he would do against a modern formation as a winger who plays centrally. As my central midfield consists of four players already.

What scares me is his first touch, the vision he has to receive balls with complete understanding of what is behind him - Orvar Bergmark. Erik Nilsson is ideal against Julinho, the physical specimen and a master man marker who literally made teams so scared they refused to play against his club if he was playing. Centrally it is going to be a battle between the genius of Hidegkuti and Julle Gustavsson which is going to lead to success for both sides at times.

It would be a tough game for Iniesta too though. Bergmark is excellent and has taken out a lot of players and shut them down and he has the pace, acceleration, tackling and reading of the game to be a great challenge for Iniesta. We'll see some perfect monster tackles through out the game and knowing Iniesta we will also see him work his magic as well. At which case Bian Rosengren will be what I hope saves the day, while you want to see Iniesta float away towards goal.

With Bian Rosengren as the captain of the side my team is full of highly inspired classical football playing men. So that is a point that may push this towards me maybe.

 

[Annahnomoss]

@Annahnomoss holy christmas that is an epic write-up! I realize you wrote it for more than just this match but that his just impressive mate!

I just want to reply to this first



I came across this amateur only policy with the Netherlands this draft and its really unfortunate. It robbed of the game of a lot of great potential NTs in tournaments sadly. I came across some great Dutch players of this era like Abe Lenstra and Faas Wilkes. Wilkes had something like 35 goals in 38 NT matches with 3 goals in his only 2 Olympic matches. Would have been great to see some of those in the World Cups. Really a shame that era could have had more footage available for us junkies !

Thanks a lot! Had no clue it also happened to the Netherlands. They are lucky to have returned to those heights while us Swedes lost the only years at the very top we'd have ever had. The sad thing is that hardly anybody knows about Raynor, or the fact that it was a long and great era and like the rest of you we only remember the '58 side.

I've had a lot of misconceptions about Gren, Liedholm and Nordahl myself who are supposed to be national heroes. I've been forced to watch all friendly games from the era that I could find. They aren't complete and the angles are off and then the World Cup games in 1950/1958 that are available. Luckily Milan and Inter have captured quite a bit about Grenoli and Skoglund though.

 

[Ecstatic]

I thought I was the worst spammer but I was wrong

Impressive work of both managers.

Why do you think you 'should' win?

I prefer to comment your teams later and hear what you have to say

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Hidegkuti was a master at doing just that so you are right. Fantastic player who'd be far from nullified by Gustavsson and Raynors previous experience with him. I'm happy with people realizing Gustavsson did a great job against him when they played and that is something he is capable of.

Definitely a clash of eras. But the WM was sort of excellent at closing out space in the middle with a congested square there and the three forwards trying to force a longer pass down the side of the midfield battle. Which would be balls to Hidegkuti/Julinho/Cubillas and at times Iniesta too.

I have mixed feelings about facing Iniesta. On one hand Orvar Bergmark is ideal as a man to man opponent on the righthand flank and I can't see Iniesta beating him down the wing very often. The congest midfield and Bian Rosengren, the captain and destroyer being positioned there should negate Iniestas damage when he cuts in from the wing. He also isn't providing you with that number superiority like he would do against a modern formation as a winger who plays centrally. As my central midfield consists of four players already.

What scares me is his first touch, the vision he has to receive balls with complete understanding of what is behind him - Orvar Bergmark. Erik Nilsson is ideal against Julinho, the physical specimen and a master man marker who literally made teams so scared they refused to play against his club if he was playing. Centrally it is going to be a battle between the genius of Hidegkuti and Julle Gustavsson which is going to lead to success for both sides at times.

It would be a tough game for Iniesta too though. Bergmark is excellent and has taken out a lot of players and shut them down and he has the pace, acceleration, tackling and reading of the game to be a great challenge for Iniesta. We'll see some perfect monster tackles through out the game and knowing Iniesta we will also see him work his magic as well. At which case Bian Rosengren will be what I hope saves the day, while you want to see Iniesta float away towards goal.

With Bian Rosengren as the captain of the side my team is full of highly inspired classical football playing men. So that is a point that may push this towards me maybe.

Is there anyone in my team that isnt faced against an ideal opponent?
Kidding aside, i think Iniesta would not be that often in a battle against Bergmark, not that i dont think he would lose it. Thats the benefit of a modern formation i guess, you have Zhirkov who would go up and down all day long so similar to our(United) clash with Bayern in CL, people were praising Buttner on how well he dealt with Robben but the fact is he wasnt faced Robben at all, maybe once or twice in 90 minutes as he was against Rafinha for 90% of the game.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Sweet feck...Sjor with the customary brilliant GIF work on the midfield version of Beckenbauer, and he still gets upstaged by Annah's pièce de résistance. I thought I'd done a reasonable amount of reading and watching for this draft, and I'm still going to look like a lazy shit-muncher in comparison to these guys .

 

[Annahnomoss]

The player profiles are now hyperlinked to the posts with their profile in.

I thought I was the worst spammer but I was wrong

Impressive work of both managers.

Why do you think you 'should' win?

I prefer to comment your teams later and hear what you have to say

I do think there is something genuine about my side with all of them playing under Raynor. He was a great manager who overperformed in 1950, 1952 and 1958 and yet he showed some great creativity in 1948 in the way he created the foundations for the Grenoli trident. He was also a highly inspirational man-manager who turned a show ponying Gunnar Gren into one of the best players in the world and the more dynamic of the trio.

Liedholm described best himself what a partnership means in football and Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets would probably say something similar. Liedholm - "The ball didn't touch the ground a single time. Gren played it to me, me straight to Nordahl who played it to Gren, who found me and then I found Nordahl who scored on the volley. That's how we played.". They scored 22 goals in 4 matches and they scored 118 for Milan their first season so it wasn't a lucky tournament, just what they did.

Hamrin was awe inspiring in 1958 with his 4 goals and 3 assists, one of the best players and I think he'd manage to produce match winning moments against Zhirkov. He had one of the best games in the tournament against Erich Juskowiak who was part of Dr.Beckers team of the tournament ahead of Nilton Santos. Hamrin got him sent off with a red card, then assisted 2-1 and scored that goal for the 3-1.

Skoglund was the best left winger of the World Cup in 1958 and he had a great mix of world class dribbling, show ponying entertainments and one of the most precise crosses about. The two together is what creates the magic like in 1958. Hamrin wasn't a winger who needed ball after ball, instead more of Sweden's play went through Nacka Skoglund on the other side.

With Hamrin being close to the top scorer in most of his Milan seasons and he had an even better '58 than that and he'd be a threat entering the box for crosses from the other side. And of course he was a nightmare who could win a match at any second by beating 3-4 men and scoring on his own down his right hand side too.

Nordahl would be keeping Figueroa and Nasazzi occupied all game with his constant runs behind the defense and his physical bullying would take its toll on the two. His speciality was finding space and scoring when the centre back had to step up against Liedholm and Gren. And against a top CB pair like that, those are the moments you have to take.

The same goes when Hamrin/Skoglund beats their full back and a centre back has to step out. There isn't a better goalscorer in history if you are just talking about inside the box.

Basically this Swedish side outscored their opponents and if you aren't going to outscore them you will have a hard time.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Is there anyone in my team that isnt faced against an ideal opponent?
Kidding aside, i think Iniesta would not be that often in a battle against Bergmark, not that i dont think he would lose it. Thats the benefit of a modern formation i guess, you have Zhirkov who would go up and down all day long so similar to our(United) clash with Bayern in CL, people were praising Buttner on how well he dealt with Robben but the fact is he wasnt faced Robben at all, maybe once or twice in 90 minutes as he was against Rafinha for 90% of the game.

The WM leaves space for the full backs so not only don't I have the ideal match up against them, I don't have anybody. Instead the inside left and right would fall in to the box when crosses came in which is why they were often tall and strong. Even Liedholm and Gren would fall just inside the box in those situations. So Zhirkov and Lahm will be key players here, but it is a balance to work with Hamrin and Skoglund ignoring them and just focusing on the counter.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Sweet feck...Sjor with the customary brilliant GIF work on the midfield version of Beckenbauer, and he still gets upstaged by Annah's pièce de résistance. I thought I'd done a reasonable amount of reading and watching for this draft, and I'm still going to look like a lazy shit-muncher in comparison to these guys .

 

[Annahnomoss]

@sweden_forever @Swedishreddevil @Swedenunited Please vote but don't be biased.

Whitetext.

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

Thanks a lot! Had no clue it also happened to the Netherlands. They are lucky to have returned to those heights while us Swedes lost the only years at the very top we'd have ever had. The sad thing is that hardly anybody knows about Raynor, or the fact that it was a long and great era and like the rest of you we only remember the '58 side.

I've had a lot of misconceptions about Gren, Liedholm and Nordahl myself who are supposed to be national heroes. I've been forced to watch all friendly games from the era that I could find. They aren't complete and the angles are off and then the World Cup games in 1950/1958 that are available. Luckily Milan and Inter have captured quite a bit about Grenoli and Skoglund though.

Indeed. That was a really interesting thing to learn. I actually thought Liedholm, Nordahl were younger in '58 and that represented their peak but that wasn't really even the case which is amazing and unfortunate. And yeah most footage I've seen from that era is just poor filming. At least its an improvement on the 30s when they just had a stationary cameras sitting in front of the goal and sometimes you just see a ball flying into the net without even seeing the player.

And yes, Raynor seems very interesting. I am now inspired to read more on some of those Dutch players from that era, and put more effort into my write-up cheers!

I thought I was the worst spammer but I was wrong

Impressive work of both managers.

Why do you think you 'should' win?

I prefer to comment your teams later and hear what you have to say

Yeah I can't even think properly about the match yet with all Annah's new information and Sjor's wealth of gifs

 

[Šjor Bepo]

@sweden_forever @Swedishreddevil @Swedenunited Please vote but don't be biased.

Whitetext.

the only one i can tag is @harms for fecking Zhirkov gaaaaaaaaah