Victor Eriksson Hammarby role, Digi Mart USA News: Victor Eriksson has gone from being a regular starter to a smaller role in Henrik Rydström’s Hammarby side. The center-back is taking the situation calmly, telling Fotbollskanalen, “I know what I am good at and what I bring.”
Eriksson, 26, returned to the Hammarby starting lineup on Sunday in an important 2-1 away win over Malmö FF in the Allsvenskan. The victory moved Bajen to the top of the table, but IK Sirius’s win over Halmstads BK on Tuesday restored Uppsala’s lead in the Swedish championship race.
Eriksson said he is enjoying being part of a title race. “It’s crazy fun, and we have ourselves to thank because we have done well in recent matches,” he said.
He added that the team has focused on taking one match at a time.
He said his daily routine has not changed. “Everyone feels differently, but for me it is quite calm.
I do what I usually do,” he said. “It’s nothing special.”
Eriksson was a regular starter under Kim Hellberg and Kalle Karlsson but has played less under Rydström, who has mainly chosen Ibrahima Fofana and Frederik Winther as the center-back pair recently. Against Malmö, Eriksson returned because Fofana was suspended, and it was his first full 90-minute match since early September in the Allsvenskan.
“It was fun, and it had been a while since I played 90 minutes. It felt good in my body, and I hope to play again,” he said.
Eriksson also scored the equalizer, heading in the 1-1 goal in the second half. “It meant more to the team.
I don’t care so much whether I score or not. At this stage of the season, it is about getting results.”
TV4 expert John Guidetti criticized Eriksson’s role in Malmö’s goal, arguing that he first jogged back and then lost the duel with scorer Diego Garcia in the penalty area. Eriksson said he had not heard the criticism, that the team had reviewed the goal, and that he was involved and should have marked the player better, but he was unsure whether he had jogged back.
Eriksson, who has a contract through 2028, said he is not thinking about his future at present. “Not right now.
With three matches left in the season, I am not thinking about that. I focus on finishing these games as well as possible, whether I play or not.”
Hammarby next host Elfsborg on Friday at 3Arena. Eriksson described Elfsborg as a tough opponent in good form.
“They are playing much better now than perhaps in the spring, and it is a tricky team with good players. We need to produce a top performance.”
Rydström said competition for places among the center-backs is tough and that he has chosen between Eriksson and Fofana based on the expected match picture. He praised Eriksson’s handling of his reduced role, saying the three players whose situations have changed most since he arrived are Eriksson, Tesfaldet Tekie and Nahir Besara, and that they have handled it exceptionally well.
Eriksson joined Bajen from Minnesota in the summer of 2024 and has since scored five goals in 85 appearances for the Stockholm club.
