Miracle of Mjallby: How small club in Sweden is on brink of title shock

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“I thought that we could do a little bit better than last season but I did not expect this,” Christofer Augustsson tells Sky Sports. Mjallby’s assistant manager is not alone. Nobody did. But this small club from Sweden are on the brink of becoming champions.

It is a historic triumph. Mjallby were languishing in the third division just seven years ago, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy not long before that. Based in Hallevik, a tiny fishing village off the Baltic Sea, it is an upset win for the ages in Swedish football.

“This is a small village. Like, really small,” says Augustsson. “The budget that we have is one of the lowest in the league. We don’t have lots of supporters like the biggest clubs or the money to bring in the best players. I don’t think any of this should be possible.”

For Augustsson, 46, who had roles within Sweden’s age-group teams before returning to Mjallby two years ago, the moment that he really began to believe was when they beat third-placed GAIS just last month. “Then, I did start to think about it,” he admits.

But the bigger question is how they have managed to pull this off? It is true that defending champions Malmo have struggled badly, slumping down to seventh in the Allsvenskan table, but so good have Mjallby been that it might not have mattered.

In fact, if they win at IFK Gothenburg on Monday evening, they will eclipse the points total of any title winner so far this decade – with three games to spare. In all probability, they have secured enough points already. Mjallby have cruised their way to glory.

“For me, the journey started in the summer of 2023,” Augustsson explains. That was towards the end of his first season on the coaching staff. The club embarked on an evaluation process. What would they need to do to take the team to the next level?

“We evaluated how the best teams in the biggest leagues played. Before that, we had been quite a direct team in a low block playing on the transition. We changed the way of playing and rebuilt the squad, bringing new players in that fitted the new system of play.”

Augustsson makes an obvious comparison – “the Leicester story is maybe similar,” he suggests, trying to be helpful for an English audience – but the intriguing thing about all this is that Mjallby have opted to mimic the best rather than doing it differently to them.

“We switched to adopt a more possessional style of play or at least possession-based, building from the back. We wanted a method that did not rely so much on coincidence, we wanted it to be based on us creating opportunities through our way of playing.”

Under experienced head coach Anders Torstensson, Mjallby embraced these ideas, counter-pressing even against the big clubs. “The major thing for us is that we have such a clear method. We know exactly how we are going to play and everyone believes in it.”

Belief has been growing for some time. Augustsson is of the view that reaching the cup final in 2023 – where they were beaten 4-1 by Hacken – helped more than they realised at the time. “That started to grow the seed, made us believe big things were possible.”

The gradual nature of the progress helped too, finishing ninth, ninth and tenth prior to last season’s fifth-placed finish. “We were a really good defensive team. But we added things – pressing higher, playing out from the back – without losing those core values.”

More than the talented Gambian forward Abdoulie Manneh and the promising midfielder Elliot Stroud, both of whom have had key roles, those core values are embodied by captain Jesper Gustavsson, the player providing a visible link to Mjallby’s past struggles.

Now 30, he made his debut for the club in 2013. “He played in the game where Mjallby were almost relegated into the fourth division and were on their way to going bankrupt,” says Augustsson before smiling at his next thought. “Now he plays for the best team.”

Of course, football being football, the break-up of Mjallby’s team has already begun. Goalkeeper Noel Tornqvist has been sold to Serie A side Como in Italy, albeit being loaned back to complete the season. And even Augustsson, the assistant, has decided to move on.

“I am ready for something else. Everything has to end.” But he is confident that with chairman Magnus Emeus at the helm alongside sporting director Hasse Larsson, the foundations for this success, built not bought, remain. “They can take the next step,” he adds.

“They are still building and will have more money than ever, selling players for huge amounts. The recruitment will be the big thing, making sure that when a player goes out the next one is ready to come in. And winning the league is so difficult, of course.”

Mjallby could do that for the very first time in their history on Monday. There will be 1200 away supporters making the long trip north to Gothenburg, more than ten times the number that would have made that same journey not so long ago. Unusually, Hallevik is abuzz.

“We have media every week, from Sweden and abroad. The stadium is sold out for every home game, 6,000 people,” says Augustsson, still sounding a little bemused by it all. “Nobody used to watch us train. Now, there are 50 people watching every session.”

All that remains is to finish the job. “The players are feeling the pressure. I think that is normal. But everyone would like to be in our position.” The quiet revolution is almost complete. Mjallby were nobody’s idea of champions but expectations have been defied.

Not through money or magic but a team spirit unmatched. “For the players, they say it is almost like playing with friends,” concludes Augustsson. “That togetherness, it is unique.” And it has led to the extraordinary story of Sweden’s unlikeliest of champions.

This news was originally published on this post .