I haven't watched any full Malmo games, just the highlights, and he certainly looks dynamic with the types of goals and assists he's produced (i.e., his stats don't come from tap-ins or lucky bounces). So, I'm curious, if he is such a dynamic offensive presence, why isn't he a more regular starter at Malmo? I'm not asking in a snarky way. I'm just wondering if there's some real deficiency in his game that is holding him back from getting more minutes there and getting a call-up for the US.
This is what a Malmo fan replied to me with on Reddit. Take it for what it's worth. The official word is that the club is trying to do well on both fronts right now but it's definitely been the first team in EL and a lot of rotation players in the league matches. Gall is being eased in and is still one of these rotation players. It's clear that he has a lot of skill but he has to adapt to a tempo he's not used to, especially in EL.
When he was in MLS he was known for being a skilled player that had trouble following the coach's instructions. In simpler terms, he was deemed being a rouge player.
After a quick look at stats. The Danish wings of Anders Christiansen and Søren Rieks are his main competition on both sides. Søren has actually performed well in the Allvenskan this season. But Anders has done much of nothing and also plays the RM position that Gall would likely try to occupy. I've only have watched Malmo since Romain got there. And this is super bias, but neither one of those guys have shown me that they're that much better than Romain. Now the manager has had those guys since preseason and so he might go with who he trust more. But the only one out of those two that make a rightful case to start is Rieks. I don't understand why Christiansen continues to get the nod in big games seeing as he's produced so little this season.
Honestly don’t know. He seems to produce whenever he is playing at a very respectable rate. You would think as a coach you would want that on the field. Ill defer to the poster above with the reddit response.
On the bench: Här är elvan vi ställer på banan. Mot tre poäng!#MFFHIF pic.twitter.com/6BtvAvJspq— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) October 20, 2018 DNP in a 2-1 win.
So Romain seems to be sitting for their big games. I mean I guess it somewhat makes sense for a mid season transfer but it must be irritating on his part.
On the bench: Så här ställer vi upp ikväll!#S08MFF #UEL pic.twitter.com/VYYaS9aCVK— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) October 25, 2018
I don't understand his club status. When he played, he always made positive impact, like scoring or assisting, but he barely got PT recently. Wonder why?
yeah its odd...but a reminder that PT isn't always about performance. 2 theories: Maybe the club wants to lineup some transfers for current players on the squad that play similar positions and don't want to jeopardize those sales by benching those players? Or maybe they dont want him to leave too soon and they want to have him for next season so they aren't letting him shine too much right away a la how amon was stashed away by his danish club?? could be 101 other reasons but I'm with you....seems like he has done well when given a shot...especially that 2 goal game he had on some nice strikes recently.
On the bench: En timme till match. Här är elvan som ska göra det!#AIKMFF pic.twitter.com/qrLuiRwaCq— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) October 29, 2018
The game is being streamed live on ESPN+. I just tuned in. No score in the 25th minute. Helluva an atmosphere at AIK. I’ll report it once Gall enters the match. *pays to be “sick” or aka recovering from a weekend of Halloween festivities and off work to catch some Monday football*
Gall DNP today. Malmo tied 1-1. A brilliant and I mean brilliant free kick in the 95th minute by former EPL player Sebastian Larsson earned AIK the draw.. Malmo grabbed a goal right before the stroke of halftime against the run of play. AIK had Malmo pinned back in their defensive third most of the second hand. They almost weathered the storm as they were under constant pressure. Malmo’s subs were all defensive - two DFs and a d-mid. Unfortunate for Gall but that’s what you have to do on the road. Tension started to boil over after the 95th minute goal which saw the goal scorer Larsson sent off and it continued after the final whistle. Malmo will feel like that was 2 points lost instead of 1 point earned. That draw mathematical eliminated Malmo from the title race.
when was the last time AIK won the league? Seems like it's just been Malmo or Helsingborg over the last 5 years or more.
IIRC from the stream, they said AIK has only won one title since the turn of this century. I think in 2009 or 2010. Same goes for Göteborg. They’ve one tile since 2000. It’s pretty much been Malmo racking up titles with Djurgårdens winning a few early in the century and a few other clubs nicking a title here or there. But the two dominate clubs historically AIK and Göteborg have been surpassed.
Today it was based solely on tactics. Malmo nicked a goal, against the run of play, right before halftime. AIK took it to them the entire second half. Malmo were under immense pressure. You could feel a goal coming. It was just a matter of when, not if. The substitutes were all defensive, rightfully so. Malmo thought they had a win until literally the dying seconds of the match. Gall can’t provide much defensively. That’s why he remained on the bench. Malmo have had to grind out some results lately as they try to remain in contention for European football next season. Only the top 3 in Sweden qualify automatically. Malmo sit 5th just 2 pts behind Hammarby who are 3rd in the table. When Gall has played, his quality has been on display. I don’t think he’s out of form or in the coach’s dog house. I simply think it’s been tactical as they’ve grinded out results. Three matches remain this season. It wouldn’t shock me if Gall’s PT is limited. I think Gall will get a chance, from the start, when the new season kicks off in the Spring. There will be some turnover in the Malmo roster.
Markus Rosenburg's transfermarkt page says he's retiring at the end of the year, but I haven't found anything regarding retirement elsewhere
Starts: En timme till avspark – här är kvällens startelva!#MFFÖSK pic.twitter.com/Vo5yBMZOhj— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) November 1, 2018
Scores: 57' MÅL! Behrang Safaris frispark tar i muren men Romain Gall kan trycka in trean med ett stenhårt vänsterskott!#MFFÖSK | 3-0— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) November 1, 2018
Local @RomainGall scored for @Malmo_FF today as they defeated Örebro SK 4-0, Gall scored on a great left footed one timer from just outside the 18!#RepDMV pic.twitter.com/EOHlKU3yTG— DMV Soccer (@DMVSoccer96) November 1, 2018 He sure does have a weak left foot
Also, I was wrong. Straight from the horse's hooves. Asked from a burner twitter account lol. I’m actually naturally right footed 🤷🏽♂️— R.GALL (@RomainGall) November 2, 2018 Also, some perspective from another Malmo fan on Reddit At the moment i think the coach Rösler is being vary of changes in the starting squad in the games. Being the end of the season and all. Our current form in the league is 1 loss in 18 games so that's probably a reason why Gall is being left out of the bigger games aswell. I'm pretty sure Gall will be a starter for us next season. His talent is obviously great and Malmö has a history of being springboard for young players emerging on the european market, the latest example being Svanberg who went to Bologna. I think Gall is definietly up there talent wise with the likes of Svanberg, and I can see him going to a bigger league next year if he keeps performing like this!