For me, that’s a lot” – National team boss asked about Tottenham and Brighton stars, cools expectations
Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari have grown in stature for the Sweden national team over the past year or so.
Bergvall has now played four times for the national team and Ayari has played eight times, having started all of the team’s last six games.
This has coincided with their rise for Tottenham and Brighton respectively, as they have become important parts of their respective teams.
As their development continues to happen, Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has spoken to Expressen about the two youngsters.
Speaking about having Bergvall and Ayari as regulars for the team, Tomasson said: “At the same time, we have Lucas Bergvall. I almost brought him in straight away and he got playing time in three of the games.
“That’s a lot too. Ayari too. There’s a lot of potential. And to use a young player four out of five times, for me that’s a lot.”
He was also asked whether there is a need to be more patient with the Brighton and Tottenham starlets.
Tomasson responded by taking pressure off them: “It’s obviously up to different people what they think. We’re looking at 50-55 players at the moment. We started with 40 and have built on a little.
“The list is growing. We work very specifically and know exactly what a player does in the clubs. Whether he plays in the Allsvenskan or in the best Italian league.
“We know what they do in all situations. Nothing surprises us. At the same time, we have data. We can’t make mistakes like that, we know exactly what the players do.”
It is clear that Tomasson trusts Bergvall and Ayari a lot.
The Seagulls star has played 27 times in all competitions this season and that’s in his first full campaign for the club.
Bergvall has done similar at Tottenham, playing 33 times in all competitions and showing his quality.
