When Djurgården fell to Hammarby just before the national team break, they made sure to pull together a rarely seen gold battle with four teams involved. The resources speak for Malmö FF, the offensive for Hammarby and the equity ratio for AIK. In Djurgården it is the coach couple.
It's not Kim Bergstrand or Thomas Lagerlöf - it's "Kim and Tolle".
- You need some sort of basic view of how you look at people, the world and football. Then you can be quite different in general, which we are. But we are becoming more and more equal. It's like marriage, ”says Bergstrand.
They played together in AIK in the 90s, but the background of one of Djurgården's rivals has in no way made it difficult for them - on the contrary.
- You are some kind of sum of your experiences through life and it is clear that if you have experienced it it must be an advantage in my world. You know about what it is about, says Lagerlöf on the question of whether he thinks it is an advantage of the past in a big club.
Bergstrand is on the same track but does not think it is about the press.
- There are other things that are in these clubs at this level. It is politics and a lot of things that should not be shocked, he says and develops:
- There are many who care and many phalanges. It is everything from boards all the way down to youth football and there is politics and there are things to relate to in these clubs.
How much do you think of it as a coach - or is it the art of not doing it?
- When you go out on the football field, it is important to leave things like that aside. But then in the daily environment all around it is a big club. There are a lot of people who care, says Lagerlöf.
- But you have to take in the culture that prevails in the club you are. All clubs have some form of identity. You have to relate to it. You do not go into it and stomp on it in any case, says Bergstrand.
They had a goal to fight for the European Cups. 27 rounds into the series they are at the same point as the series manager. An ordinary year they had secured a top 3 place with these conditions. But this is no ordinary year. Here is a historic gold battle with four teams within three points with three rounds remaining.
- You have to consider that we are in a good position and can win gold. It is reminded of the outside, if nothing else, says Bergstrand and then Lagerlöf fills in:
- Now the results of other teams play in a different way. It affects what we have for opportunities but we have three games left and you try to achieve what you have done so far. Then you have a pretty good foundation.