Less than a year ago, Andreas ‘Stycket’ Nilsson was rejected by the Swedish national team. Now, he is making a comeback in the blue and yellow jersey.
Andreas was a fixture in the national team for eight years but was dropped when Glenn Solberg took over as head coach. ‘Stycket’ was part of the preliminary squad for the World Championship held at home last year, but he was excluded when the final squad was selected.
But now, the 33-year-old has been selected for the international match against Ukraine ahead of the European Championship, which takes place on November 2nd at the Stiga Sports Arena.
– Very nice to be back. I’ve played many times in the national team, but it will be a bit thrilling; it’s been a while since the last time, says Andreas Nilsson to SVT Sport.
– During these years, we’ve had good results with line players who have performed well. Therefore, it’s been challenging to make changes. But now we’re in a different situation (with Max Darj and Fredric Pettersson absent), and Andreas plays a lot in both directions for his club. There are several reasons why we believe Andreas can help propel us forward, says Glenn Solberg to SVT Sport.
Nilsson’s Impact in the National Handball Team
Andreas Nilsson plays for Telekom Veszprem on a daily basis and has been a consistent part of the team for several years. However, as ‘Stycket’ has been out of the national team context for a while, his role in the upcoming match is not entirely clear yet. But if he gets to choose, he’ll play both in attack and defense.
– Yes, it’s fun, then I can give back a little of what I get in the attack. I’ve started playing more in defense for the club over the past two years, so time will tell what my role will be, says Andreas Nilsson to SVT Sport.
Source: SVT Sport