AB Gladsaxe met Skive IK today at Gladsaxe Stadium, and it was never a great experience for the 467 spectators who had turned up.
AB lined up with Daniel A. Pedersen back in the starting line-up, and he took his place in central defence and also the captain’s armband. On goal was Marcus Bobjerg, in central defence, Adrien Koudelka and Mikkel Brund played. In Rasmus Brodersen played on the left defensive side, and on the right side of defence, Frederik Lindgaard replaced Yael Liesdek, who took a place on the bench. In the central midfield were Søren Ilsøe and Ægir Jarl Jónasson with Á Gúst Hlynsson in front of him. At the front was O’Vonte Mullings together with Onesime Tembe, who thus started inside for the first time.
During the 2nd half, Onesime Tembe retired and Steven Simpson came on the field, and Søren Ilsøe also retired and was replaced by Christian Wagner. Agust Hlynsson retired and Flamur Dzelili came on the scene. At the end of the game, O’Vonte Mullings retired and Yushi Yamaya made a comeback after a long injury break.
It was definitely not a good game that AB Gladsaxe played today against Skive IK. AB fell behind by a goal after just eight minutes, and Skive scored again after just 20 minutes. Trailing 2-0 – then it was uphill. Christian Wagner reduced the score to 1-2 towards the end of the game on a well-placed header.
Otherwise, the emphasis was on changing the poor outcome of the last matches. The recipe was to restrict Skive in their game from their own defensive zone and forward down the field, because they are really good at that. It was also the high and aggressive pressure that would keep Skive from scoring. That was not what was performed on the pitch today.
Skive sat down from the start of the game and played the ball around in their own ranks. After six minutes, Skive AB’s defense played thin, and an uncovered Martin Huldahl could score to make it 1-0. AB tried to finish from distance, but both shots from Søren Ilsøe and Rasmus Brodersen went past the goal. Skive’s second goal came after a conversion, where Skive quickly came forward on the field, and Martin Huldahl got a good pass and could increase the lead to 2-0.
AB still tried to get into the game, but never got the game to work. They played with too long balls, which Skive cleared, and the long balls created difficult conditions for AB’s attackers.
Shortly before the break, AB lost the ball, and Skive again came forward quickly. The finish was deflected by Frederik Lindgaard, who came back nicely. The deflected shot parried Marcus Bobjerg with a great save and made sure that AB did not fall further behind.
In the 2nd half, AB changed system, and Daniel A. Pedersen was added to the midfield. This meant that AB got a better grip on the game and played the ball around the field. Skive also retreated further back on the pitch and struggled to defend their 2-0 lead.
AB had opportunities, where Águst Hlynssón, Daniel A. Pedersen, Adrien Koudelka and Flamur Dzelili, among others, had good attempts. After the reduction, AB pushed for an equalizer, but the goal did not come.
Assistant coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson, like the whole team, was very disappointed after the game.
“The first half was a disaster for us. We did none of the things we were supposed to do. The players were really passive, where we wanted them to be in front. The pressure on Skive was not there, and we gave Skive some situations where they were comfortable. The players did not feel safe in the situations. They should have predicted more, should have made more pressure, we should have won more balls, and we were not able to do that today,” Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson concluded.
It was also a disappointed captain Daniel A. Pedersen who spoke after the match.
“It’s a disappointing game today. It’s the 1st half that does it. They get through far too easily. We are too bad in the pressure. We are too bad on the ball and then it becomes an uphill battle when we have to chase and are behind by two.”
“In general, we just have to get better in all facets of the game. It’s annoying, and there’s nothing to do but go home to the training ground and train really hard. We don’t do our thing properly and we need to correct that. They get through far too easily and score two goals. So we have a lot to work with,” concludes Daniel A. Pedersen.
The next match is on Friday 27 September at 19:00 against HIK in Gentofte Sportspark.
