Since taking his first steps in management, back home in Sweden ten years ago, Larsson’s managerial career has been unspectacular.
You’d have believed the original decision to cut his teeth with lowly Landskrona would have been part of a plan to learn the ropes before heading for some more international globetrotting, as he spread his managerial wings and flew the Swedish nest. Yet until his second spell as Helsingborgs manager ended Larsson has spent his coaching career exclusively in his home country. Until now that is.
After nearly three years with Landskrona Larsson averaged 1.43 points per game in a spell that saw Henrik collect 37 wins, 35 losses and 19 drawn matches.
He left his role in December 2012 and made the decision to return to football in March 2013, this time as an assistant rather than manager with Hogaborg. It was a short-term gig as Larsson left that December before returning to the hotseast with Falkenberg in January 2014. There Henrik lasted 12 months in the job, overseeing a far from inspiring record of 9 wins, 6 draws and 16 defeats with a points per game average of 1.06.
This wasn’t enough to dissuade his boyhood club Helsingborgs from thinking his status at the club could inspire their next generation of players and Larsson headed for his home club in January 2015 where he managed the side for 72 games, of whch 24 were won, 13 drawn and 35 that ended in defeat.
Larsson left his role in November 2016 – after he and his son were confronted by angry fans following Helsingorgs relegation from the top flight- and it was two years before he returned to the game, this time in a brief role as an advisor to Angelholm, before returning to management- briefly – to return to Helsingborgs in June 2019, where his record read two wins from nine games with five defeats, two draws and a points per game average of 0.89. After only two months Larsson left in August 2019.
Since then Larsson’ has made it clear his intention was to coach abroad and in the absence of offers to manage at the top level has looked into a consortium looking to buy into football and have Larsson head up the coaching side of things.
Initially that looked as if Southend United may be the destination and alongside former teammate Tommy Johnson it looked a done deal until Johnston got a better offer and it’s fair to say disappointed the Swede who believed they had a gentlemen’s agreement in place. Southend weren’t willing to go ahead without Johnson, who has made a name for himself as a man with the finger on the pulse in the English lower league recruitment scene and that particular plan ended in acrimony.
You’d assume then that Larsson’s luck had turned full circle and being offered the assistant’s job at Barcelona would be the dreams come true for Larsson and perhaps that those decision-making skills were at last looking back in focus, but scratch the surface and it could well be that Larsson’s timing may be a little out.
