Coaching talent is crucial
©IMAGO
The idea that TuS Meersburg from Lake Constance will outdo clubs like FC Bayern in the championship race is absurd. In the Allsvenskan, based on the population, something like this became reality on matchday 27. Mjällby AIF from the 1,400-strong fishing village in southern Sweden secured the first title in the club’s history with a 2-0 win at IFK Göteborg on Monday evening. The club’s path from the near-bankruptcy in 2016 to the top of the table, with the stadium right next to the campsite and the Baltic Sea, is remarkable.
Mjällby, founded in 1939, first played in the top Swedish league in the 1980s, then from 2010 to 2014 and continuously since 2019. The club had previously marched out of the 3rd league after relegation to the fourth division and thus bankruptcy was only avoided on the last match day of 2016. And that without a major investor: In Sweden, like in Germany, the 50+1 rule applies. The club laid the foundation for success through consistent business management.
“We have brought our costs under control, achieve one of the lowest financial results in the league, but also have some of the lowest costs,” club boss Jacob Lennartsson, who was still youth leader when the near-crash occurred, told the “BBC“. Transfer market data scout “Joelclae” praises Lennartsson and Co. for “intelligent transfers and thorough scouting.” In recent years, the 36-year-old and his team have brought Mjällby from the red of around 400,000 euros to an annual increase of 2.6 million euros. According to “Kicker”, sales are at 9 million euros and are likely to increase further due to the first participation in the European Cup.
This financial discipline is also reflected in the transfer market. In 2026, there will not only be income from the qualifying rounds for the Champions League, but also higher transfer revenues than ever before. The four most expensive sales to date brought in between one and 1.65 million euros – extraordinary sums for Mjällby. Including Colin Rösler, son of the new Bochum coach Uwe Rösler, to record champions and defending champions Malmö FF, who are fourth this year, 21 points behind. In terms of squad value, Malmö and Mjällby are still almost 20 million euros apart despite a whopping increase of 46.8 percent since January 2025. Coach Anders Torstensson’s professionals only cost a total of 1.65 million euros in transfer fees – making them ninth in a comparison of Allsvenskan’s purchasing values. Record signing since July is Jeppe Kjær, who came from Bodø/Glimt for 700,000 euros.
Aksum’s Science: Mjällby’s Key to Success
But the key to success is not only based on smart economics, but also on the way you play. This has changed dramatically since January 2024 with the engagement of assistant coach Karl Marius Aksum. The Norwegian moved to Mjällby from the youth department of Odds BK in his home country. Under Torstenssons and Aksum, the southern Swedes have developed not only the best defense in the league, but also the second best offense – 49 goals and 17 goals conceded in 27 games. TM data scout “Joelclae” calls Aksum the “brain behind Mjällby’s offensive style of play” and the main reason for the many goals. Offensive player Elliot Stroud made a similar statement in an interview with the BBC: “Mjällby used to think about long balls and throw-ins. We were always strong defensively, but last season a new assistant coach came in with great offensive ideas.”
The Norwegian brings scientific expertise with him. Having never been a professional himself, the A license holder did his doctorate on the subject of “Visual Perception in Elite Football” after completing his master’s degree in coaching and psychology. “No one has studied footballers’ eye movements as intensively as I have. This skill is crucial in modern football because players move faster and the pressure increases. You have to constantly keep an eye on your surroundings,” he told the English broadcaster. This is particularly true for the players in midfield, who have to absorb information from all directions.
This is how Aksum plays football at Mjällby AIF
Aksum consistently implements this scientific method in Mjällby. With his techniques, he shaped players into “better passers and better players on offense and defense” and used the freedom to implement these principles to innovate the attacking game. Instead of relying on crosses and set pieces, the team prefers to build play from the defense, control possession of the ball and move forward as a unit. Aksum: “No Playstation coaching, we give the players principles, but never the exact solutions. They have to make the decisions.”
Karl Marius Aksum gives instructions during the Allsvenskan game against Elfsborg
The result: flexible and modern football. TM expert “Joelclae” describes: “Mjällby plays balanced and pragmatic. They are not a pure counterattack team, but they tend to use counterattacks effectively when the situation calls for it – especially against stronger opponents. Mjällby basically wants to control the game, but at the same time, with teams that apply a lot of pressure, they focus more on counterattacks. They are also very effective in set pieces.”
There is no one top goalscorer on offense: Stroud, Herman Johansson and Abdoulie Manneh each scored seven league goals. “Mjällby does not build its attack around a single striker. Instead, they rely on dynamic movements of the midfielders and wingers to score goals. It is a collective approach that is not based on a single target player. What is also special about Mjällby’s tactics is that the three most dangerous players can act in the playmaking area, as a winger and as a center forward. This variability leads too many hits.”
A scientifically based training concept, collective and dynamic attacking, defensive stability and physical intensity – these are the success factors of Mjällby AIF. But none of this would be possible without the excellent team chemistry. Many of the players live together in a kind of student dormitory. “When we have nothing to do, we grill, cook together or hang out,” said offensive man Stroud to the “BBC”. The fact that head coach Torstensson is actually a teacher full-time and even ran a school fits the picture perfectly. The stadium also contributes to the special spirit: the Strandvallen, which with 7,500 seats is significantly larger than the town of Mjällby itself, is located right next to a campsite on the Baltic Sea in a holiday idyll. It is always full – no wonder given the strength at home: Mjällby last lost a home game in the league in May 2024 (1:3 against Djurgården), and there have been 13 games without defeat since then.
Mjällbys Strandvallen Stadium is an idyllic location next to a campsite right on the Baltic Sea
Mjällby and the weakening competition: What will happen next in 2026?
“Joelclae” classifies the triumph realistically: “This is Mjällby’s sixth season in the Allsvenskan since promotion in 2019. Since then, they have always had a good defensive record. What also helped Mjällby this season, of course, is that the top teams were worse than usual. That doesn’t detract from the success, however, because they took advantage of the opportunity really quickly when the title fight developed developed.”
The question remains: What follows after this historic success? Will the transfer policy change when the title is won and Europe is calling? Probably not, predicts “Joelclae”: “The squad structure and expenses for 2026 certainly depend on which key players stay. Goalkeeper Noel Törnqvist, for example, has already moved to Como and is only on loan, so Mjällby has to sign a new goalkeeper.” The Sweden expert names Stroud, the most valuable squad player with a market value of 2.5 million euros, his offensive partners Manneh and Johansson and defender Abdullah Iqbal as candidates for departure.
“The only reason Manneh wasn’t sold in the summer is because Mjällby wanted to keep him until the end of the season because of the title fight.” However, the Sweden expert is convinced that the club will not spend crazy amounts even if all these players leave for big money. “Mjällby is very strict about its structure and has been for ten years when the club was on the verge of bankruptcy. So it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of the money goes into the academy, the facilities and other important things around the club.” Club boss Lennartsson also emphasized this in the “BBC” interview.
More important than the whereabouts of individual players is probably another personality: Can Mjällby keep Karl Marius Aksum? The assistant coach is one of the architects of this success story – and has long since made a name for himself. But “Joelclae” says: “He definitely has great potential, but I don’t think he’s averse to staying at Mjällby. Head coach Torstensson could get a higher position at the club at some point and Aksum could get his role – if the top clubs haven’t already called by then.”