Newcastle United star Anthony Elanga started on the bench for Sweden against Kosovo on Monday night but did not escape criticism.
A talented generation of players sit bottom of their World Cup qualification group after Sweden lost 1-0 to Kosovo on Monday night.
While much of the attention will naturally be on Alexander Isak after the manner in which he left Newcastle United over the course of the summer, Elanga also invoked the ire of a section of the Swedish media.
Indeed, the 23-year-old came off the bench for the second half in the Swedish capital but could do little to impact the game.
Kosovo had taken the lead before the break and Sweden just could not find a way back into the game despite their firepower.
Here’s what a Swedish media outlet had to say.
Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images
After the game, prominent media outlet Expressen delivered their player ratings.
They only handed Elanga one ‘wasp’, which is their unit of measurement. For context, only four Swedish players were awarded more than one wasp.
Of Elanga’s performance, they wrote: “Careless entry. Timed everything wrong and there were plenty of misunderstandings.”
Anthony Elanga stats for Sweden vs Kosovo
To Elanga’s credit, FotMob data indicates he created four chances in his 45 minutes on the pitch.
He also found the mark with six of his ten attempted crosses and only lost the ball once.
Sweden vs Kosovo statistcisAnthony ElangaMinutes played45Touches50Touches in opposition box3Chances created4Possession lost1Ground duels won1/2Anthony Elanga stats for Sweden vs Kosovo
Still, the fact that only three of his 50 touches came in the opposition’s final third was a disappointment.
Sweden appear to have deployed a 3-5-2 system, which is rather far removed from what Nottingham Forest did last season and what Newcastle have used with Elanga in the team this time around.
It is natural, however, that the Swedish media are angry. This is a generation of players stacked with talent and it now looks all but impossible for them to reach the World Cup next summer.