Football Season Guide

Falkenbergs FF

In


Jacob Ericsson (def) - Orgryte, Marcus Mathisen (def) - Halmstad, Kirill Pogrebnyak (att) - Baltika Kaliningrad, Carl Johansson (def) - Helsingborgs IF, John Chibuike (att) - Irtysh, Nsima Peter (att) - Frej,

Out


Enock Kwakwa (mid) - Jonkopings Sodra, Erik Pärsson (att) - OFI Crete, Linus Andersson (def) - Tvååkers IF, Chisom Egbuchulam (att) - Suwon FC, Erik Zetterberg (mid) - Varberg BoIS, Rasmus Larsson (mid) - released, Osama Hassan (def) - released, Zlatan Krizanovic (att) - released

It's a sweet return to the Allsvenskan for Falkenbergs after a two year absence and, while they will do extremely well to cement themselves in the top tier, they will be delighted to have bounced back from the disappointment of relegation in 2016. That ended a three year stay in the top flight, but they never really looked comfortable finishing 13th and 14th in the two seasons prior to crashing out of the league with just ten points from 30. And, while it took them a season to recover in the Superettan, they found their feet with a fourth place finish before finishing as runners up last year to have another go at the big time. Led by head coach Hans Eklund, they will hope to do enough to stay competitive and keep their heads above water, but they are a very small fish in a big pond. Eklund is a shrewd customer and, while the traditional 4-4-2 formation looks a bit outdated, he will know what fits best with the players at his disposal. The form of captain Tibor Joza at the back will be crucial, while new striker Kirill Pogrebnyak could be the joker in the pack that makes the difference up front.

Target


Falkenbergs will be tipped to struggle, and the cruellest of pundits will suggest that they are just there to make up the numbers. But the club will have a clear view of what they need to survive, and how they will accomplish it. Finishing in the relegation play-off spot wouldn't be a disaster, and the only thing they'd like to do is make a better job of it than the three teams promoted from the Superettan the year before. They all went down with a whimper in the end, and Falkenbergs will want to add a bit more fight to their survival bid if possible. Prediction: 16th