It’s not that easy to play well-kept football in Denmark’s most beautiful stadium. Because the lawn in the Parken – the venue where Denmark’s national player Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at the 2021 European Championship – was badly affected by a concert by the Danish hip-hop group Suspekt.
Well-groomed combination football was not possible when FC Copenhagen played the championship game against FC Midtjylland last Saturday (September 30th, 2023). On the bumpy surface they promptly suffered a 2-0 defeat.
Or was the Danish double winner already with his head somewhere else? Because now FC Bayern is coming to the arena, which has a capacity of more than 40,000 spectators, and there will be a special atmosphere when Germany’s most famous team plays in the heart of Copenhagen (Tuesday 9 p.m.).
Bayern suffered a 6-2 defeat 32 years ago
The run on the cards was huge, and older fans in particular naturally dug out what happened 32 years ago: On October 23, 1991, Bayern lost 6-2 in the Uefa Cup at B 1903 Copenhagen .
It was a defeat in which stars like Stefan Effenberg were left out of the loop under their Danish coach Sören Lerby, who soon lost his job. For the people of Munich, this was an episode that was often repressed, while in Copenhagen people like to live on this special memory.
A year later, FC Copenhagen emerged from this traditional club. The first team to play under the new name in 1992 consisted almost entirely of former B 1903 players.
Roony Bardghji is the next top talent
FC Copenhagen is known for continually producing talent. The best known are Thomas Delaney, who plays for Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim, or Jonas Wind, who is currently playing well for VfL Wolfsburg and is celebrated for his seven goals this season. And also that of Manchester United Striker Rasmus Höjlund, acquired this summer for 75 million euros, played for FC Copenhagen until 2022.
The next top talent is Roony Bardghji. The 17-year-old Swede is feared because of his dribbling skills and has already scored six times in the league. In general, FC Copenhagen has gained a big lead in Denmark, which is becoming larger rather than smaller thanks to the opulent income from the premier class.
Last season could hardly have gone better, even if the group stage ended early. After all, the Danes achieved against Borussia Dortmund, FC Sevilla and Manchester City In the case of a clear defeat, there is also a draw.
Jacob Neestrup has the right touch
Of course, the high also has a lot to do with the trainer. Jacob Neestrup is not only a child of the city, but also of the club. The 35-year-old has only moved outside of FC Copenhagen once, when he trained with Viborg FF in the 2019/2020 Corona season. As a footballer, he was a talented midfielder in the academy, but had to end his career at the age of 23 due to an injury.
The builder: Coach Jacob Neestrup
Instead, he set out to follow his passion as a coach early on. He also worked under Stale Solbakken, who shaped the club like no other, leading them to eight Danish championships and several Champions League participations. Neestrup appears to be following directly in his footsteps, having initially returned as an assistant in 2021 and taking on the managerial role in 2022. “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved over the last year.” The 2-2 draw at Galasaray Istanbul should be a warning to Bayern. Otherwise, when inspecting the pitch, it will finally dawn on you that there is no cozy Champions League evening waiting for you in Copenhagen.