For everyone living in Scandinavia and following football, the name Sven Goran “Svennis” Eriksson, was a familiar one, going back 45 years in time. He made his mark first and for all with IFK Gothenburg, making that team one of the most memorable in Scandinavian football history.
We all knew about his illness and messages being sent and broadcasted about him having few months left, but still saddened deeply to hear about his death, as the message came through yesterday, 26th of August.
When “Svennis” took charge of IFK Gothenburg he had been recruited from Degerfors IF, after impressing as head coach in the lower tiers of Swedish football. No one really knew him at the highest level, as he had wandered as a player and later coach in the lower divisions. His playing career gave him no favours, having to retire at the age of 27, but still his eye for football and love for the English game with favourite team Liverpool, possibly helped him out, as he came through a difficult first few games at IFK Gothenburg, losing his first three in charge. The turn came quickly after that and it turned out to become the finest journey.
His path and success was not build on him alone, but he had people assisting him that has seen great success in different capacities both before and after working with Svennis. Tord Grip was probably the one that became most important, opening the possibility for Svennis to get his first job as head coach, taking over for Grip at Degerfors IF, when Sweden boss Georg “Åby” Ericson came calling.
The success at IFK Gothenburg was build with Gunder Bengtsson as assistant, later to take over from Svennis when he jumped at the chance to become boss of Benfica. The story of Svennis from then on, became one magnificant ride in club football as he had spells at Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio, as well as a return back to Benfica. The work done in Italy and especially at Lazio, were he teamed up with Tord Grip again as his former chief became now his assistant. The duo won the Serie A and the European Cup winners cup title while in charge of Lazio.
England came calling, building their application on his recent work at Lazio, not really having an English alternative at the time, after Kevin Keegan resigned, and no trophies won since 1966. Svennis never had a fluid team or one that had a settled unit, with eleven World Class players in each position.
He was probably not the perfect candidate for the England job either, as his family life at the time was far from settled, and of course fantastic and juicy for the English press to get their headlines of non-footballing affairs.
After his time as England manager he had a year off, before being offered the job as manager of Man City. He had a fantastic start at City, giving Kasper Schmeichel his first team debut. On 19 August, with Kasper Schmeichel in goal, Man City beat reigning Premier League champions Man Utd to go top of the 2007–08 Premier League after three games without conceding a goal. Svennis received the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for August. The club stayed in the top six throughout the rest of 2007, and were third throughout October and November, but fell to seventh on 12 January 2008 after winning only one of their previous five games. Svennis left the manager job at Man City in June 2008.
A journey of different changes started for Svennis, becoming manager of Mexico, director of football at Notts County and the head coach of Ivory Coast during the 2010 World Cup, before landing the job as Leicester manager in October 2010. Leicester never became consistent during the year he was in charge, but at times they played wonderfull attacking football, Leicester being 7th in Championship, as the highest position under his time in charge. Again building a foundation that became a sucess formula a few years later, having signed players such as David Nugent, Kasper Schmeichel and Paul Konchesky, and also allowing players such as Andy King, Jeffrey Schlupp and Lloyd Dyer to excel, all contributing to that special 2013-14 promotion to Premier League.
He played his teams in different systems, but all in all it was based on four defenders, mostly four midfielders and two players up front. His style at IFK Gothenburg is well founded when basics was found back in systems often used in English football. Two good attacking full backs, two solid central defenders, one flying winger, two central midfielders and of course one less offensive flank on the opposite side, with a special striker partnership up front. Svennis was also clever in using the best skills of his unique players, Torbjorn Nilsson and Tommy Holmgren, who was basically the attacking unit. Nilsson with flying pace and goal touch, Holmgren with his dribbling skills and accurate passes. Nilsson and Holmgren had a special partnership, one we could mirror in Len Glover and Frank Worthington, as they often found each other in every area.
Glenn Stromberg was the only player of that special IFK Gothenburg team that Svennis took with him when he moved to Benfica, as he build success in Portugal. Kasper Schmeichel also build a special relation, playing under Svennis at Man City, Notts Co and Leicester. The number of star players to have played under Svennis is too many to mention, but one who stands out is Roberto Mancini, who had Eriksson as coach at Sampdoria and Lazio and the connection between Svennis and Peter Taylor (England assistant and interim manager), brought the Italian icon to Leicester.
He was also one that introduced the psycholigical approach to football, using Norwegian psycholigst Willy Railo methods to bring players into the correct frame of building confidence and having a correct mindset and inner voice, as you build better performances. His last work in football was at Karlstad Fotboll, being Sporting Director at the club when his illness became public in February last year.
Again sad to see such as great football man leaving us, RIP Sven Goran Eriksson.
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