Guardian and Observer Editorial

The Guardian | Wednesday June 21 2006 5 Sweden will go on to beat Germany, claims Jonson Peter Starck Sweden are confident of defeating the hosts Germany in the second round. “It will be a fantastic match. It will be absol- utely great when we knock out the Ger- mans in Munich,” the right-sided midfielder Mattias Jonson said. “It’s going to be a massive win for us.” Jonson said the performance against England had given his team extra belief. “England have a very strong team. They are maybe one of the strongest teams of the tournament,” he said. He added that it was not necessarily a disadvantage for Sweden to face Germany instead of Ecuador. “We know a lot more about the Germans than about Ecuador,” he said. “I don’t know if it would be better to face Ecuador or Germany.” The goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson said: “We can beat them [Germany] if we play a good game. Our chances are the same as Germany’s.” Sweden’s striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is healing well from his groin injury and may be fit for the second-round match against Germany on June 24, the coach Lars Lagerback said on Tuesday. Ibrahimovic did not play against Eng- land on Tuesday, having limped off at half- time in Sweden’s previous World Cup Group B match against Paraguay on June 15. “It has been a positive development Sweden’s goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson attempts to save a bolt from Joe Cole but cannot stop the looping shot putting England ahead Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters with his injury. We hope that he will be available when we play Germany,” Lager- back told reporters after Sweden drew 2- 2 against England to finish second in Lampard looks better without Gerrard Group B. “We have practiced set pieces a little bit and I'm very pleased that we can score on tet, with Owen Hargreaves stepping down. involved Gerrard from the outset and a As the Professional Footballers’ Associ- Sweden are Another experimental Whether that is the right solution is another slightly mistimed challenge, an instinc- ation’s player of the year stepped out, in hopeful their midfield fails to convince matter entirely. For the opening hour, tive curse or an accidental brush of limbs came the guy who is rapidly gaining a rep- injured striker before everything went horribly wrong, had resulted in him picking up a one- utation as England’s odd-job man. Quietly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic but Hargreaves provides Lampard certainly gave the impression that match suspension. Imagine the hostility effectively, Hargreaves set about the task will recover to face a more solid anchor he was far more comfortable playing with- of the anti-Sven headlines. The Swede’s of mopping up in front of defence, laying Germany in the out Gerrard than with him. Or, to put it conservatism may have triggered Ger- the ball off simply, making his usual crisp second round Daniel Taylor Cologne another way, he was happier with a hold- rard’s reflex outrage but Eriksson was challenges while, all the time, hoping to ing midfielder beside him rather than one right to play safe and, as someone who prove to the sceptical English fans that his set pieces," Sweden’s coach Lars Lager- whose natural instinct is to attack. prides himself on being a team player, it relationship with Eriksson extends far back said. “If we have some aces left for It was one of those nights when Sven- It is a curiosity. If there were such a is disconcerting to learn that this largely beyond that of teacher and pet. Germany I don't know. You will have to Goran Eriksson might have awoken in a thing as an overrated world XI, then Lam- admirable midfielder has been sniping It cannot be easy being asked to play like wait and see." cold sweat. If, that is, he managed to get pard would have been offered the cap- behind the manager’s back. Dunga when there are Englishmen in Ger- Delirious Swedish fans were celebrat- any sleep in the first place. England’s taincy after his performances against many who have loudly let it be known they ing in London after their side denied Eng- manager confided recently that he strug- Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago. Sud- Move of the match think he is dung. Fair? Undoubtedly not, land an historic victory with a late goal. gled to switch off after matches and this denly Gerrard is taken out of the starting but it has become a fact of life that the Around 180 fans were packed into a base- was a night when his mind must have been line-up, a more defensive replacement is 25-year-old is the player the fans dislike the ment bar near Oxford Street, central Lon- burdened by the long inventory of faults brought in and, hey presto, Lampard is most. They don’t like the way he speaks don, to cheer on the Scandinavian side. Isaksson that is making the idea of Sven becoming back to looking like the player he is for with a Canadian twang. They don’t like the Downing Swedish lager and traditional Sir Sven seem faintly preposterous. Chelsea rather than the player he was for Gerrard Mellberg Edman fact he bypasses the football vernacular to meals of meatballs, the blue-and yellow- His angst will have begun with the West Ham. Does Eriksson ask Gerrard to Lucic talk about zones and sections. They don’t clad supporters celebrated their side's defining image of Michael Owen collaps- drop into a more defensive role? Or would Alexandersson Crouch like the fact he is one of the few players who progress to the next round of the World ing to the floor with the anguished look of that be too great a sacrifice in terms of does not sing God Save The Queen. They Cup. The bar erupted with cheering when a man who knew it was all over. There was losing Gerrard’s attacking thrust? Eriks- J Cole don’t even like his hair. Most of all, they say, striker Henrik Larsson netted a late the inability to defend from crosses, the son is not sure, and he is not alone. Lampard J Cole they don’t like the way he passes the ball. equaliser. way the team disintegrated after the About the only certainty is that a wound- Linderoth Beckham Football can be brutal but even the One Swedish fan, Tina Lehman, a 20- interval, then the shock factor of seeing up Gerrard took his omission last night as a most ardent critic would struggle to argue year-old masseuse, was jubilant. She said: key players going AWOL when they were personal affront. He is said to be bewildered Gerrard Beckham that Hargreaves did his job anything but “I have never been that happy ever. I needed the most. And when all that is by what he sees as undue caution and, Kallstrom diligently. He is not a player to conjure up started to cry and scream. I didn't know done, Eriksson must return to the nagging demonstrating a level of selfishness with Ljungberg the sort of moment Joe Cole delivered what to do." problem of how to reconfigure what is which he is not usually associated, Player move with ball after 34 minutes but neither is he the dud Another fan, Stefan Berg, 39, said: “I'm essentially a malfunctioning midfield Liverpool’s captain is irritated that, in his Player move without ball that has been made out. He got a thumbs- very satisfied we made it to the next when Steven Gerrard returns to the start- mind, Eriksson did not trust him to get Ball movement/pass up from Eriksson midway through the round. Also we haven't lost to England in ing line-up against Ecuador on Sunday. through the game without collecting his A misplaced header by Teddy Lucic first half and, as well as a number of telling 38 years and we still haven't." Everyone knows the answer, of course second yellow card of the tournament. from Paul Robinson’s goalkick gave the interceptions, his presence at the base of There was standing room only in the — that Eriksson will return Gerrard along- To the rest of us it made perfect sense. ball to Joe Cole, who set up Steven midfield allowed Lampard to press for- Nordic bar, which was decked out in the side Frank Lampard in a flat midfield quar- Imagine the hullabaloo if Eriksson had Gerrard to head his 85th-minute goal ward without worrying about cover. colours of Sweden . A major German player to look out for. www.conti-online.co.uk.

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