Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak is working with a new manager at international level, but it did not get off to the best start on Thursday night.
Sweden were in friendly action, as they took on Portugal in what was Jon Dahl Tomasson’s first game as manager. The former Newcastle United striker took over in February, and was handed a tough start to life as an international manager.
His Sweden team were beaten 5-2 by Portugal, with Alexander Isak playing the full 90 minutes. The 24-year-old played as an attacking midfielder behind Viktor Gyokeres up front, which had been rumoured ahead of the game.
It was a relatively new role for Isak, and it did not bring him any goals or assists as his side lost heavily to Roberto Martinez’s team.
After back-to-back defeats with Newcastle United, Isak was probably hoping that representing Sweden would provide him with a reprieve. However, that was not the case.
READ MORE: Who is Alexander Isak? Age, Height, Family, Nationality, Roots
How Alexander Isak played for Sweden against Portugal
It turned out to be another tough night for Sweden, and Fotbollskanalen have provided their player ratings from the friendly defeat.
Their player ratings are split into five categories, with Isak falling under ‘godkänd’ alongside eight other Sweden players. It is the second lowest category, and translates to ‘approved’, which appears to mean they were average.
They wrote: “He came close to scoring 1-0 to Sweden early on via a Portuguese leg, and he was behind the 4-1 goal. Otherwise, he didn’t get it in his offensive actions and he lost the ball before 4-0. Weak second.”
Alexander Isak was joined by Emil Krafth
During the second half, Isak was joined by his Toon teammate Emil Krafth. The right-back was brought on in the 60th minute, replacing Emil Holm, who had provided the assist for Sweden’s first goal of the night.
Krafth played 30 minutes, and was given the same rating as Isak.
On Krafth, Fotbollskanalen wrote: “Behaved okay. Made his way and was involved in Gustaf Nilsson’s heel chance.”
What is next for Sweden
Thursday was a disappointing night for Isak, who is Newcastle United’s most expensive ever signing.
It was also a disappointing night for Jon Dahl Tomasson, whose reign as Sweden manager got off to a losing start.
His second game on charge is on Monday, with Sweden taking on Albania in a friendly. Tomasson will be hoping to pick up his first victory, while Isak will be keen to enjoy a more productive night.
He struggled to get involved against Portugal, and will want to have a bigger impact versus Albania. As for Krafth, he will hope his steady showing off the bench results in more minutes on Monday.
After that, Isak and Krafth will return to Tyneside, with Newcastle United preparing to face West Ham United in the Premier League on March 30th.
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