Djurgården revival continues

By Marcus Christenson

Back in the 1960s, Djurgårdens IF steamrolled any team that came before them, winning two Swedish titles in three years. Their physical style of play earned them the nickname 'Järnkaminerna' - literally, the 'log-burning stoves' - which stemmed from the imposing, physical stature of their players.

Reigning champions
But what worked in the 1960s fell out of fashion in the following three decades. Djurgården did not win another title until 2002, when they lifted the double, and they are now on course to win their second consecutive title, leading the Allsvenskan by four points with three games remaining.

New style
This time, however, their game plan is completely different. Coaches Sören Åkeby and Zoran Lukic have introduced an effective 4-3-3 formation with very skilful players and again Djurgården are taking Sweden by storm. Åkeby spoke to uefa.com about the transformation of the club and the advantages of the 4-3-3 formation.

uefa.com: You are top of the Allsvenskan with three games to go: are you confident of retaining the title?

Sören Åkeby: Everything feels great and we are in a very good position at the moment. But that doesn't mean that we can relax. We will have to be on our toes until the final game of the season if we are to repeat our success.

uefa.com: How difficult was it to keep the players motivated after being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round by FK Partizan on away goals?

Åkeby: It hasn't been that difficult. I think we did all we could and were only millimetres away from going through. But it almost made it even more disappointing to see Partizan beat Newcastle [United FC] as we knew that could have been us.

uefa.com: Tell us about the 4-3-3 formation which seems to have given Djurgården a huge advantage in Sweden.

Åkeby: I have used the formation for over ten years now so that wasn't something new for me when I came to the club. There are so many advantages with that formation: it gives you a good balance in the team and you have enough players in a forward positions to create chances, but still more players in defence than the opposing team.

uefa.com: What would happen if all teams in Sweden started playing 4-3-3 as well?

Åkeby: Then you'd have to develop your own plan. It is important to always be one step ahead and there are so many variations to this system that I don't think it would be a problem.

uefa.com: You lost a few players in the summer but don't seem to have suffered. Why is that?

Åkeby: It is partly to due to the fact that all teams in our club, down to the youngest kids, play in the same 4-3-3 formation, or even 3-4-3, so that when they get promoted to another team, they don't have to learn how to play in a new way.

uefa.com: How important is it to sign the right replacements for players who go abroad?

Åkeby: That is crucial and that is hopefully what we have got right. We always look carefully at who we sign. New signings obviously need to have the right qualities as players, but perhaps more importantly, they also need to have the right mentality. We never buy a player who sees Djurgården as their last stop. We were thinking about buying the Finnish international centre-back Toni Kuivasto and were hesitating a bit until he told us that he wants to develop and to move to a bigger club. And he has been fantastic since he joined us.