How the Swedish media reacted to Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga's display vs Luxembourg
03/23/2025 04:00 AM
Anthony Elanga is one of the best pieces of transfer business that Nottingham Forest have done for a long time.
Last season he showcased that he was capable of playing regularly in the Premier League and this campaign he’s kicked on even further with Forest playing very well.
His recent form had earned him a recall to international football for the latest round of matches on that particular stage.
Elanga had experienced a disagreement with Jon Dahl Tomasson last year, but the pair rekindled their relationship ahead of trying to get Sweden to qualify for a World Cup in the summer of 2026.
Tomasson praised Elanga last week and he rewarded the Forest performer with a start in yesterday’s friendly clash against Luxembourg.
Swedish media deliver verdict on performance of Anthony Elanga
This will go down as one of the most embarrassing days in Swedish football.
Although this was only a friendly, Sweden were beaten 1-0 by the minnows, with Seid Korac scoring the game’s only goal after 23 minutes.
The game was played in Luxembourg and Sweden now face Northern Ireland on Tuesday before the World Cup qualifiers get underway in September.
Elanga started the game as a striker alongside Newcastle player Alexander Isak but was awarded a verdict of ‘fail’ by Swedish media outlet Fotbollskanalen.
They wrote: “Played as one of two forwards and didn’t get it right. Ran but it didn’t lead to much. Ended up facing goal too rarely and wasn’t sharp enough with the ball.”
Elanga stats 2024/25
If the performance really was as bad as the Swedish media have made out, then perhaps Elanga wouldn’t start on Tuesday night.
However, playing him as a striker doesn’t exactly scream of Tomasson playing him to his strengths, with his blistering pace better served out wide.
At 22-years-old, Elanga is the future of Swedish football and one bad performance – when he’s been out of the reckoning for so long – doesn’t make him a bad player.
The main priority from a Forest perspective is that Elanga turns back up at Forest fit and healthy ready to spearhead the team’s charge into the Champions League next season.
