Sweden World Cup Preview

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M FREDDIE LJUNGBERG Q&A What are your earliest memories of the World Cup? Spain '82 and then the Maradona finals in 1986. That was his World Cup, he was at his very best and scored some great goals. Which of your teammates should people look out for? Henrik Larsson is a great striker and doesn't get the credit he deserves because he plays in Scotland. That is unfair, and maybe this will be his chance to show what he can do. What stage do people back home expect you to reach? So much depends on our first match, against England. Whoever loses will have big problems. We are in the toughest group by a long way, but Sweden tend to raise their game against the top sides, so it may not be a bad thing. If we get through to the latter stages, anything is possible. If you don't win the World Cup, who will? The teams that come through our group must be confident of going a long way. France have real ability. They also have a lot of confidence having done it before. Is there too much money in football? If the money is there to pay the players, and people keep coming into the stadiums, it cannot be too much. Maybe it will be different in future, but there are so many fans around the world, and that will never change.

How they line up

CO-COACHES Lars Lagerback and Tommy Soderberg will stick to their trusted 4-4-2 system, in which a zonal defense and a tightly-knit midfield try to put pressure on opponents as early as possible. A lack of a genuine midfield orchestrator will be compensated by active wing-play.

Magnus Hedman will start in goal, in spite of a patchy season with Coventry. Sweden simply have no one else with Hedman's ability, even though youngster Andreas Isaksson is catching up fast. Either he or the more experienced Magnus Kihlstedt will take the second goalkeeping spot.

It is vital that captain Patrik Andersson returns in time from his knee injury. He is an absolutely key figure, whose partnership with Celtic's Johan Mjallby guarantees solidity. Olof Mellberg starts at right-back or, if Andersson cannot make it, will take over his preferred role at stopper. He may lack Andersson's brain, but provides energy and power and will venture upfield when he can. Michael Svensson is a steady deputy.

The pacy Christoffer Andersson gives cover for Mellberg on the right, although he is prone to defensive lapses.

Erik Edman's recent loss of form could well pave the way for Teddy Lucic or even the veteran Pontus Kamark at left-back. Neither is a natural left-footer, but both have bags of experience and can operate in various positions.

Tobias Linderoth impressed as midfield anchor during the qualifying stage. However, his recent move to Everton has affected his form, allowing Hansa Rostock's Marcus Lantz to come into contention for the position. Hakan Mild will be in the squad if he recovers from a groin injury.

Sweden like to attack down the flanks. Niclas Alexandersson produces clever runs and sharp crosses on the right; Fredrik Ljungberg is expected to make incisive bursts from the left. Magnus Svensson, often used as cover for Ljungberg, also has a useful touch.

But is there enough flair and imagination? Soderberg and Lagerback may have lost their faith in talented but one-paced Daniel Andersson. Anders Svensson, for all his goals and shooting ability, is a support player rather than a director. However, his linking with Ljungberg could still prove fruitful.

In attack, Sweden will rely on proven goal-getters Henrik Larsson and Marcus Allback. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the joker in the pack. He can excite with his ability to take on players, and his unpredictability can cause problems for defenders. But so far he hasn't been able to forge a working partnership with either Allback or Larsson. Stefan Selakovic appears to have overtaken Andreas Andersson in the substitutes' pecking order after making a good start with Dutch club Heerenveen.

From World Soccer magazine.

 

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