Why did he not put Isak in the game at all and will he play against Kosovo, the Swedish coach gives the answers

Why did he not put Isak in the game at all and will he play against Kosovo, the Swedish coach gives the answers

Sweden failed to get more than a 2–2 draw away against Slovenia, in a match where they took the lead twice and lost it twice.

After the match, much attention was paid to the decisions of coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, especially his substitutions and the fact that Alexander Isak was not activated at all. In the press conference, Tomasson gave explanations, emphasizing that the striker’s physical condition did not allow for risks.

“I would have loved to have him in the game, as would all of us. Even the Slovenian fans would have loved to see him. But after only three training sessions with the team and not playing for three months, the risk was great. There has not been a normal pre-season. We have to think first about Alexander the person,” said the coach, also referring to the difficult period the player went through with his big transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool.

Another controversial decision was the substitution of Anthony Elanga, who scored a goal but left the game after just over an hour. “He got tired, and at the same time Slovenia were penetrating our right flank easily,” said Tomasson, explaining that the introduction of Benjamin Nygren brought freshness and directly influenced the second goal.

Sweden lost a 2–1 lead in the final minute of the match, and when asked if he would have made any other changes, the coach replied flatly: “It’s difficult to take off a striker and bring on an extra defender. That would make us passive in our penalty area, which is not our main quality. It would have been the wrong decision.”

Regarding the next match against Kosovo, which will be played on Monday at the “Fadil Vokrri” stadium in Pristina, Tomasson did not give any guarantees about changes: “It is difficult to say now. We have to wait for the reports from the medical staff. The players were very tired on the field and we have to see their condition.”

Kosovo, on the other hand, is coming off a heavy 4–0 defeat to Switzerland in the opening qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.