Sweden: effervescent Northerners

Almost half a century has passed since Sweden enjoyed its last period of glory. In 1958, the “Tre Kronors” – they get their name from the three crowns in the country’s coat of arms – reached the final of the World Cup held on home soil. The yellow and blues, along with their stars Nils Liedholm, Kurt “Kurre” Hamrin and Gunnar Gren, were defeated 5-2 by the football Rastellis centred around the 17-year-old Pelé. Things have calmed down a lot for the Scandinavians since those heady days.

Here you can find information about the star of the team ...

Though the Swedes figure in the world’s leading ensemble, they certainly aren’t the leading violinist. Sweden reaches the World Cup finals with great regularity only to be eliminated, at the latest, at the competition’s second stage. Exceptions like the third place in the USA in 1994 when they lost unluckily 1-0 in the semifinals to Brazil only serve to prove the rule. The team was never able to follow on from their achievements in the World Cup’s early years (fourth in 1938, third in 1950 and runners up in 1958). On the contrary: in the 80’s Sweden’s footballers completely disappeared from the international scene. Football however stands in the shadows of ice-hockey between Göteborg and Stockholm.

The turnaround was ushered in by Tommy Svensson, who replaced the unsuccessful Nisse Andersson in 1991. He surprised everybody in 1994 with a third place finish at the World Cup and established the “Tre Kronors” on the fringe of the world’s top teams again with players such as Patrik Andersson (2001 Champions League winner with Bayern Munich), Martin Dahlin and Tomas Brolin. Failure to qualify for the World Cup four years couldn’t stop the general upward trend. In 1998 Tommy Söderberg (56) was given the head coach’s seat in the dugout and two years later he appointed Lars Lagerbäck (57) as an equal at his side. Both acted thereafter as “co-heads” – a novelty in international football. Success proved them right: the “Tre Kronors” remained undefeated when qualifying for both the 2000 European Championships and the 2002 World Cup. 

At the 2002 World Cup, Sweden were defeated 2-1 after extra time by surprise team Senegal. Two years later at the EURO in Portugal, their journey came to an end in the quarterfinals: Netherlands won 5-4 after penalty shoot-out. “We’re getting closer and closer to the semis,” commented Lagerbäck laconically. The former junior and assistant coach of the Swedish football association SvFF (Svenska Fotbollförbundet) has been solely responsible for the national team since the EURO.

In October 2005 Sweden qualified as one of the best group runners up for the World Cup finals for the eleventh time. They won all their games in Group 8 except for the two matches against group winners Croatia – both ended in 1-0 defeats. A 30:4 goal difference – an average of three goals a game – clearly indicates where the Swedish team’s big strength lies: in the attack. The world class trio Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Juventus, 8 goals), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, 7 goals) and Henrik Larsson (Barcelona, 5 goals) scored a third of their goals.

There are great hopes in particular for the 24-year-old young star Ibrahimovic. The 1.92 metre tall Juve striker, whose market value is now estimated at around 30 million Euro, has undergone a remarkable surge in improvement over the past two years. “He has developed enormously as a person and as a footballer. Today he’s one of our best players,” said Lagerbäck of the player. A Bosnian by birth, everybody calls him “Carlo”. Alongside him up front is the highly experienced 34-year-old Henrik Larsson (Barcelona), who returned to the fold before EURO 2004 after retiring from international football after the 2002 World Cup. A partially torn cruciate ligament sustained in November 2004 then set him back for a while.

The third of the musketeers, Fredrik Ljungberg, has counted as one of Arsenal’s indispensable pillars for many years now. The 28-year-old plays just behind the striking duo and is considered to be one of Europe’s most dangerous goal scoring midfielders. Completing the marvellous attacking force are winger Christian Wilhelmsson (25) from Anderlecht as well as the up and coming Johan Elmander (24, Bröndby Copenhagen), Markus Rosenberg (22, Ajax Amsterdam) and Kim Källström (23, Rennes).

However the attractive attacking football also conceals considerable risks. In order to live up to the “offence wins games, defence wins championships” guiding principle drawn from American Football, there is a definite lack of quality at the back. Only the 28-year-old captain and defensive organiser Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa) and the 1.97 metre tall goalkeeping giant Andreas Isaksson (Rennes) meet higher expectations.

Currently in the German Bundesliga, where many Swedes always used to play, there is not a single player from the country famous for its elks and lakes. The Scandinavians have chosen Bremen as their base for the 2006 World Cup. Starting in northern Germany the Swedes will want to set off on journey full of success.