Sweden stars struggle for form

As the countdown to UEFA EURO 2004™ gathers pace, uefa.com considers what the coming months might hold for the 16 finalists. Today we look at Sweden.

By Jan Juhlin

Sweden began their preparations for Portugal by taking part in a four-team tournament in Hong Kong this month. Coaches Lars Lagerbäck and Tommy Söderberg took a team of Scandinavian-based players, who lost 3-0 to Norway before defeating a Hong Kong XI 3-0, Lars Nilsson (2) and Babis Stefanidis the scorers.

Case for inclusion
Twelve of the players who flew out to the Far East were uncapped but given the Swedish pre-season has only just begun they were perhaps not in the best condition to make an impression. That said Malmö FF striker Niklas Skoog, who shone at the King's Cup in Thailand this time last year, reinforced his case for inclusion. He may yet be needed.

Confined to the bench
Although Sweden, who face Bulgaria, Italy and Denmark in Group C, qualified with relative ease, it is wrong to think all is well in the camp. A major worry for Lagerbäck and Söderberg is the fact some of their key players are currently confined to the bench at their clubs, while others are even stuck in the stands. Sweden's top scorer in qualifying, Marcus Allbäck, is not playing regularly at Aston Villa FC and has scored only once this season. Midfield playmaker Anders Svensson is often overlooked at Southampton FC, and even when he does play, seldom gets a full 90 minutes.

Hedman move
The Swedish contingent at Celtic FC have had mixed fortunes too. Henrik Larsson, whom the Swedish Football Association is trying to tempt out of retirement for Portugal, is a hero in Glasgow, but for the two other Swedes there, this season has been less happy. Defender Johan Mjällby has been plagued by injuries while goalkeeper Magnus Hedman this week joined Ancona Calcio on loan for the rest of the season having lost his place in the team following some shaky displays.

Reluctant to experiment
In Germany, the situation is much the same for full-back Teddy Lucic of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Hansa Rostock's Rade Prica. Given that Lucic, Allbäck, Svensson and Mjällby are all regular starters for Sweden, this must concern Lagerbäck and Söderberg. The duo are not known for their willingness to experiment with new players, sticking instead with the old guard whenever possible. However, if the situation remains the same, they might have to adapt or risk of using players who are neither fully fit nor in form.

Zlatan question
Another worry is the fitness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will not return to action before March after a groin operation this week. Zlatan seems to have problems recovering from injuries and his absence could leave Lagerbäck and Söderberg looking to FC København's Mattias Jonsson and the aforementioned Skoog. The latter is someone the coaches have previously tended to overlook, despite him being one of the Allsvenskan's best players these past two years.

Plus points
There are some positives, however. Kim Källström has got off to a good start at Stade Rennais FC, and will no doubt become a better player in France. Michael Dorsin and Pontus Farnerud are playing regularly at RC Strasbourg and Michael Svensson and Olof Mellberg are held in very high regard by Southampton and Villa respectively. And, of course, Fredrik Ljungberg continues to excel at Arsenal FC.

Serious dilemma
The dark clouds might vanish if Svensson, Allbäck and Lucic get more time on the pitch, but if not Lagerbäck and Söderberg may face a serious dilemma.