Mjällby - Bunkeflo 0 - 1...

... what can one say. MAIF loose 0-1 at home with a team on the way down.

You know the Mjällby that some people already saw in Allsvenskan for the forth time. No, I don´t think they will make it this time. Already if you check the points of what is normally the standard of getting a place direct, or by play off, to get up to the first league, Mjällby will not make it. Even if the Superettan of 2008 is a weird one where the top teams can loose with the bottom (see MAIF yesterday). If they don´t win with a team on the place of Bunkeflo - and they didn´t lack their chances - I am sorry, but we don´t have the level.

The recruiting of Niklas Skoog is not the miracle medicine that makes it. Even if that might have been what the players yesterday where thinking. Because Ekenberg was not to recognize most of the time. He is still a good player. Not bad at all. But not the big striker that only he can be. Speedy Gonzales Berner was also not to be identified in tuesdays game. He still had some chances, but didn´t take them. Whatever you might think of Johan Svenssons greatness, he was not there yesterday as well as Erton Fejzullahu. That had to give new positions for some players which might leave confusion. For example we found Tobias Johansson on the right wing. Nothing wrong with that. He has done, if not miracles before, very well on that position. The problem was that he had / took / got another role as a playmaker and battle general in the midfield. The only one showing the way actually. That though left some space empty on the right side where Daniel Ivanovski came throught. Just that he was always so alone. Which in its turn lead to to much dribbling on his own and he lost the ball.

Who stood out then? Well, Asper did a good enough game, even if not his best. Daniel Nilsson made an enourmous effort on the midfield. And William Leandersson did a great work. Even if I got nervous every time, at the end, when he took it so easy near his own goal. But every time he turned out as the winner and cleared the situation out. That is more than you can say about his collegues Cederberg and Robledo. Cederberg started ok, but the more the situation got critical, the more careless he played. Robledo didn´t have his best day at work and frustration finally lead to two yellow cards and he was out. Except the red for Robledo, MAIF also got yellows on Ivanovski (miss next game?) and Johansson.

What about the game? Well, Mjällby started with good intensions. Continued even better had o so many chances. But didn´t score. State that LB07s goalie Ola Svensson had a great day at work and did some miraculous saving. But still. So the joy of seeing a game with multiple chances for our home team changed into frustration that they couldn´t make it. When then finally Bunkeflo scored in the 71st minute the house of cards fell together. From not beeing able to score that goal (now two had been needed) Mjällby got problems to defend themselves and it was just chaos. The team lacked the skill to score, but mostly it seems, the fighting spirit needed. Hope they have found it back for next game with leeding Örgryte. It might be more inspiring!

Goal: 0–1 (70) Henrik Ewald.
Yellow cards, Mjällby: Juan Robledo, Daniel Ivanovski, Tobias Johansson.
Red card, Mjällby: Juan Robledo.

Mjällby: Mattias Asper – Daniel Ivanovski (74), Juan Robledo, Robin Cederberg, William Leandersson – Adam Berner, Patrick Osiako (81), Daniel Nilsson, Tobias Johansson – Niklas Skoog (70), Marcus Ekenberg. Bench: Rickard Fransson, David Rehn (74), David Löfquist (81), Jörgen Nilsson, Robin Kacaniklic (70).

Referee: Keiji Hyvärinen, Haparanda.

Spectators: 1 904.