Isak Admits ‘Crisis’ at Newcastle and Calls for Change After Angry Outburst Sparks Sack Demands
Alexander Isak has called for “a crisis situation,” saying that he and his teammates are “so dissatisfied,” and that one player wants “the system” to be “removed.”
Isak may have thought his immediate prospects would be much better after joining Liverpool in a British record deal on September 1.
However, after forgoing preseason training to burn his Newcastle reputation and secure that ostensibly cursed and completely needless transfer to Anfield, the striker has only managed one goal in nine club and national team appearances this season.
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Isak, who is currently sorely lacking in match fitness for Liverpool, has been able to play the entire ninety minutes in both of Sweden’s games during the October international break, which has greatly benefited Arne Slot.
However, neither Isak nor Sweden as a whole scored in each game, losing to Switzerland and Kosovo at home, putting Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team in serious risk of missing out on the 2026 World Cup.
With just two games remaining and one point, they are at the bottom of Group B and would require other outcomes to give them even a remote chance of placing second.
For Isak and Arsenal center-forward Viktor Gyokeres, who many may have considered one of the best strikers in the world but who has crumbled under pressure, the home loss to Kosovo was especially discouraging.
Manager Tomasson has been fired, and some renegade calls have been made for a recently fired Premier League coach to take his place. One Swedish journalist called it “the grand fiasco of all time for the Swedish men’s national team.”
“A change is needed,” said Alexander Isak in his X-rated tirade, “it’s too damn bad.” It’s embarrassing. resigned.
After a “sour” game in which he had six shots and was only able to force a save with two of them, Isak expressed his disappointment once more.
“I’m not sure. It combines all of the elements. We’re not playing well enough. The way we’re playing doesn’t work. Each of us is doing it too poorly. Therefore, it’s actually a mix of all of them,” he added.
When things have gone the way they have, it is impossible to say that we are headed in the right direction. We are the only ones who can escape the situation we have placed ourselves in. We players out there on the pitch need a change. We must perform better. That’s the way football operates. You must adapt when things don’t work.
Examine other strategies for winning games. We players are really unhappy. We also assume a great deal of responsibility ourselves, as I have stated previously. We examine our reflection in the mirror. And nobody is exonerated. Not as a team, not as players. Naturally, that also applies to the coach and the surrounding area.
In order to concentrate on Tomasson’s “negative development” over the past few months, Isak stated that the players would not “get involved” in rumours about his future.
The 26-year-old remarked, “There has been no progress and it’s disappointing.” He said that the national team was now in “a bit of a crisis situation” since “we have underperformed enormously.”
Isak also gave the fans a pass for jeering at full time, acknowledging that they “can’t demand much more” from the fans even though “it’s not fun” for the players.
He acknowledged that Kosovo “may be better than you think,” but he also said that “we should be able to do better with the players we have.”
Victor Gyokeres admits something shocking
Despite being a little more reserved than Isak, who made his debut as Sweden’s captain during this international break, Gyokeres shared his opinions on the team’s appalling performance.
The striker for Arsenal stated, “It’s a mix of everything.” “We didn’t have the margins in our last game, and it was the same away against Slovenia, but we don’t deserve anything at all in these two games.
“Obviously, it’s a disaster. We clearly didn’t desire it as much, in my opinion.
Our body language and football skills are lacking, and we weren’t as interested in it. Then, it will be challenging to overcome any resistance. “I will not resign.”
Tomasson dismissed concerns about Isak’s job security while defending the “extremely professional” athlete during the player’s August strike action against Newcastle.
“We are in the middle of qualifying, and I have a contract with the Swedish federation,” Tomasson said to Viaplay.
“Obviously, it’s a horrible outcome and not good enough tonight. It aches a lot. I’m not sure why, but we lost the ability to score goals. “The supporters are perfectly justified in their criticism.
Even if it’s black and white and full of emotions, I refuse to step down. “We aren’t winning right now, so nobody is good enough. We must all perform better. Not just me.
However, Tomasson has been fired, and Kim Kallstrom, a former Arsenal player, is now in charge of making decisions as the head of Sweden’s FA.
After the game, Kallstrom stated, “Obviously, we need to analyse based on where we stand in this situation.”
“I believe that everyone is aware of how bad things are right now. After four games, we have one point, so we need to take a step back, reflect, and do some quiet analysis. “Until we don’t, we have complete faith in the management of our national team.
Everyone is aware that this is a very results-oriented industry. These are significant decisions that should not be made hastily or carelessly.
We haven’t had any conversations with any coaches’ agents. “I haven’t felt this certain since Alan Pardew was Newcastle’s manager.”
Their remaining qualifying matches against Switzerland (a) and Slovenia (h) in November might potentially provide a Nations League-style back door into the World Cup, even if they are unable to win their group.
They might finish second if they win both games, closing the six-point gap with Kosovo if they lose their next two games and Switzerland defeats Slovenia.
However, if that improbable scenario doesn’t materialise, the four Nations League group winners with the highest rankings who place outside the top two in their World Cup qualifying group have a March play-off fallback.
That would be the case with Sweden, which won Group C1 because of Gyokeres, who scored the most goals.
Because of Sweden’s present performance, a team “full of stars from the Premier League and other major leagues in Europe” has collapsed and “nothing is working,” according to Svenska Dagbladet player Anders Lindblad, who has referred to the alternative Nations League option as “almost pointless to think about.”
He adds, “At this time, there is nothing to suggest that even a defibrillator can revive the national team.
The blue and yellow are like one big sinkhole, bottomless, and without salvation.” To preserve what can be preserved, all that is required is to press the emergency stop button.
Lindblad continues, saying: “It should eventually come loose with the individual skill that exists on several hands and feet, but it has become increasingly clear that Jon Dahl Tomasson has run the ship into the water.” The team is devoid of harmony and joy.
Given the circumstances, I doubt I have ever saw a Swedish national football team perform worse. Even though Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak are far from their best, and Dejan Kulusevski is a huge absence, it shouldn’t have looked as poor and lacking in spirit as it did.
“We definitely overestimate our Swedish players, but we shouldn’t lose twice to Kosovo, which is ranked 91st.”
Naturally, Kim Kallstrom, the association’s football director, is currently searching for potential candidates who could step in quickly and breathe new life into the entire national squad.
Henrik Rydstrom? What about Graham Potter? The Olof Mellberg? It is now Kim Kallstrom’s responsibility to put an end to the national team’s suffering this autumn and make sure they receive a swift boost so that the World Cup dream may finally come true.
Perhaps the most severe analysis was offered by Expressen columnist Noa Bachen, who wrote: “There is nothing left to discuss.” No buts or ifs. No subtleties. No indication of other possibilities. No justifications other than replacing him are acceptable.
Since Alan Pardew was Newcastle’s manager, I haven’t been this certain. As an aside, a timeless reminder of the best story about Alan Pardew.
Bachen added that this “traumatising” experience with the national squad had left the players “completely broken.”
“Many of the players have also underperformed,” said Fredrik Janlind of Goteborgs-Posten, who described Gyokeres as “completely ice-cold”—not in a good Cole Palmer sense and “downright bad in several of these international matches in the World Cup qualifiers.”
Aftonbladet reporter Simon Bank, who most likely witnessed Tomas Brolin at Leeds, described it as “a total disgrace, perhaps the worst thing Swedish football has ever experienced.”
Ljungberg complains about ‘a complete disaster’
The view of punditocracy is equally eroding. Since “it is not that we have France, England, or Spain” in that group, Freddie Ljungberg described it as “a complete disaster to have one point after four games.”
The inquiry that emerged was terribly existential: “What the hell is going wrong?” “I’m really disappointed. I attempt to consider the reasons why I might be a dull old coach or player. It’s difficult. “This is a disaster,” claimed former West Brom defender Jonas Olsson, who was with him.
You’re going to play attacking football and capitalise on the skills of world-class players, which is a new direction for you. In other words, you haven’t scored a goal in three games and have one point after four. It’s terrifying.
This team’s self-esteem is so badly shattered that it is readily apparent. You have no safe structure to rely on after you accept this 0-1. The final ten to fifteen minutes are really challenging.
After managing just one victory in five games and outcomes as damning as a 1-0 loss to Luxembourg in March, two disclosures cast doubt on Tomasson’s ability to stay in the job or even maintain it.
According to Sportsbladet, instead of making the customary noon announcement, Tomasson “opted to deviate from his routines to minimise the risk that the starting eleven would leak out,” revealing his selection to the players at 7 p.m., less than two hours before kickoff.
One player appeared taken aback when Daniel Svensson, who often plays wing back, was selected to start in central midfield even though he hadn’t played there since December.
After the match, the 23-year-old even acknowledged that he had “not directly” trained as a midfielder at the most recent camp.
The most devastating story, however, was released by Radiosporten’s Jonas Enarsson, who revealed some of the details of a specific player’s post-match tirade in the tunnel.
I heard Elanga say something along the lines of “this system has to go” after the last whistle. Regarding the “very frustrated and irritated” Newcastle forward, Enarsson remarked, “I don’t know what that means.” According to the outlet’s own website, Elanga also used one particular vulgarity.
“When you are on the pitch as a football player, it can look different,” he said when he gathered himself for media responsibilities to talk about the 3-5-2 configuration.
Sadly, that didn’t work today, and we on the pitch must accept blame. Elanga also expressed regret to the supporters for not being able to improve the situation after entering the game at halftime.
Tomasson remarked, “I haven’t heard what Anthony has said so I can’t comment on it,” in response to a question concerning Elanga’s alleged outburst.
