When two heads are better than one
Nearly ten years after he began arguably Swedish football’s most successful job-share, Tommy Söderberg is forging another productive partnership for Sweden’s Under-21 team.
Double vision
It was in December 1999 that Söderberg, then coach of the senior national side, delivered happy news at his usually low-key press briefing – Lars Lagerbäck, his assistant, was to be promoted to the same head coach duties as the boss himself. Söderberg repeated the trick when, after two years in sole charge of the U21 squad, he brought in Jörgen Lennartsson as twin trainer in 2006. Fast forward to this summer and the two men have taken hosts Sweden to the verge of the UEFA European U21 Championship semi-finals.
Moot point
His vision of a pioneering double act was not always so convincing. A decade ago he called the Söderberg/Lagerbäck tandem the realisation of “a dream I have had for a long time – we are breaking new ground”. Swedish Football Association president Lars-Åke Lagrell was less enthusiastic, saying of the idea of shared leadership: “Söderberg believes in it, I don’t. Someone has to decide.” If Söderberg had to fight for the concept, then Swedish fans have reasons to be grateful he won the argument.
Happy marriage
Söderberg and Lagerbäck’s side qualified for three successive championships – UEFA EURO 2000™, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™ – before Lagerbäck continued the run in the subsequent World Cup and EURO tournaments in Germany and Austria/Switzerland. Their coaching union was probably the logical step to take. During his first two seasons at the national team helm, Söderberg always stressed that his work was no one-man show and often got Lagerbäck to do the news conferences he naturally shied away from. The 60-year-old’s football knowledge and team-building qualities always seemed to be attended by an inclusiveness and desire to share praise around. Once the pairing had official approval, it became evident that Söderberg operated even better as one of two commanders-in-chief. Lagerbäck oversaw long-term planning and strategy; Söderberg took care of team spirit, be it by back-slapping or by merely speaking to his players with home-spun wisdom.
Players’ coaches
The Söderberg/Lennartsson combination has a different dynamic. The 44-year-old Lennartsson is another players’ coach, being interested as much in his charges’ personal development as their footballing education. What has not changed is the older man’s attitude to press conferences: “Why do you want to talk to me?” would be the stock answer. “I’m just an old man with a bad hip. Talk to Jörgen – he’s a man of the future. He can edit films on DVD, I just use my notepad.” Successful results are another constant, with Sweden requiring only a draw against Group A rivals Serbia on Tuesday to reach the last four of the U21 championship as host nation.
Swedish trend
No surprise, then, the modern vogue for joint managers in the Swedish top flight. Sören Åkeby and Zoran Lukic steered Djurgårdens IF FF to back-to-back Allsvenskan titles in 2002 and 2003; IFK Göteborg were similarly influenced by Stefan Rehn and Jonas Olsson in 2007, and lead the way again this term. It was against this happy backdrop, however, that Zoran Lukic returned to Djurgården only to fall out with his new partner, Andreé Jeglertz, this summer. For Söderberg, though, the unconventional works. He once stopped the AIK Solna team bus in the middle of a forest, ordering his players to follow him to a sheltered spot where they stopped to sit and listen to the birds. Whatever the secret of his success, he won’t be keeping it to himself.
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