Sweden media react as Gabriel Gudmundsson carries weight of Leeds United error
Gabriel Gudmundsson put Leeds United’s Premier League aspirations to one side on Friday when he featured for Sweden against Switzerland.
Leeds signed Gudmundsson from Lille in the summer, and the 26-year-old has enjoyed a positive start to life in the Premier League.
The Swede struggled against Arsenal in just his second appearance for Daniel Farke‘s side, but has found his feet since.
Gudmundsson was superb against Wolves in September, and has begun to look like an excellent piece of business.
Last Sunday saw the left-back make a rare mistake, however, giving the ball away to Mohammed Kudus in the build-up to the winger’s winner that saw Leeds lose 2-1 to Tottenham.
Gabriel Gudmundsson carries Leeds error into Sweden games
Gudmundsson joked about not wanting the Sweden captaincy due to its tendency to injure its recipient before the game, and luckily, the left-back was not wearing it.
But the game brought no laughing matter, with Sweden’s 2-0 loss placing their World Cup hopes under serious threat.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side looked set to go ahead when Lucas Bergvall was found in front of an open net, but the midfielder somehow failed to score.
| Gabriel Gudmundsson | vs Switzerland |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 55/65 |
| Passes into final third | 8 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Duels won | 6/12 |
And his side were punished to the highest degree, with Granit Xhaka and Johan Manzambi scoring in the second half to hand the visitors all three points.
Gudmundsson played on the left of a back three, and can be happy with his performance, even if he did at times supposedly lack confidence.
The defender won half of his duels, and made several key defensive interventions.
Swedish website Svenskafans said Gudmundsson “started off a bit weak, but got better as the match progressed“.
The report added: “Unfortunately, he doesn’t exude confidence all the time after his mistakes at Leeds United. If he gets the chance, he’s a good player.”
Fotballskanalen shared a similar sentiment, rating the defender 3/5.
The outlet wrote: “Good and responsive defensively. Tried to take charge offensively. One of Sweden’s better players in this match.“
Sportsbladet rated Gudmundsson with a 2/3, a good performance according to their rating system.
Gudmundsson strong despite poor Sweden showing
According to Fotbollskanalen’s ratings, Gudmundsson was one of three players not to be rated below a 3/5.
The defender himself, however, will not be pleased with Friday’s game.
Sweden are now set to play Kosovo on Monday, with three points absolutely critical to any remaining chance of World Cup qualification.
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