How Sweden went from underdogs to Olympic challengers to EC 2022 favorites
SwedenThe rise to become one of the favorites at the European Championships 2022 this summer has been, it seems, a long time coming.
When the sport woke up from its forced hibernation in the early 1970s after the bans on women’s football were lifted, one only had to turn to the Scandinavian triumvirate to find some of the best teams in the emerging game. While Norway and Denmark has risen and fallen (and risen again) over the years, Sweden has remained the consistent performer in the region and never failed to qualify for an Olympics or World Cup.
The first winner of a women’s European Championship – or as it was called in 1984 in its debut, “the European Competition for Women’s Football” – Sweden, despite its consequence, has failed to take any subsequent winning medals. A country that has had a fine production line of players, as well as some incarnation of leagues since the early 1970s, it is perhaps a little surprising about the longevity of Blue-yellow (“the blue-yellow.”)
Still, with the European Championships 2022 starting on July 6 – Sweden’s 11th appearance in the competition – they have rarely looked as strong as they do now. Other nations, as hosts England and previous winners Netherlandswill be classified as favorites, but after Sweden reached last year’s Olympic final in Japan – loss to Canada on penalties – their time may finally have come.
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Sweden’s new attack-oriented style
For all the talents in this Sweden team, their current lifespan is thanks to their coach, Peter Gerhardsson. Named Pia Sundhage’s successor in 2017, Gerhardsson’s focus with the national team has always been on the attack: he has encouraged his accusations of unleashing his creative side and leaning against their instincts in the box. A former striker himself, he was immediately eager to pull Sweden from an “old English 4-4-2 style” to something that could create confidence in offensive passes and positive play.
For those who have followed Sweden, even if it is only in big tournaments, the gradual progress has been there for all to see. After changing from their predecessor’s more handsome style, Sweden navigated through the 2019 World Cup group stage in France with a bit of hassle, before sending off with Canada and then Germany, before losing their semi-final overtime to the Netherlands. More of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon in 2019 than a relentless juggernaut, Sweden then won silver at the 2020 Olympics when the pieces fell almost magnificently into place.
Americans will remember – or perhaps still try to forget – the initial group game at last summer’s Olympics due to Sweden’s dominance and the confused stuttering of their own American national team. Before the tournament, the problem for Blue-yellow had traded his chances. Still, when American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher repulsed everything she could in Tokyo, it quickly became clear that she, despite her best efforts, was on the losing side of the fight. Sweden danced their way to a 3-0 victory over the world champions and did not look to end until they faced Canada in the final, 16 days and another 10 goals later.
With the offensive approach that supported them, Sweden went from just one good team go into last year’s Olympics, to tournament favorites to take gold to the end, with almost the right balance of everything both on and off the field.
A midfield three by Kosovars Asllani, Caroline Seger and Filippa Angeldal provided enough creativity, stability, experience and youth in perfect measure. The defense, parked in front of goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, saw a rotation of injury and game control as Gerhardsson could still go to his bench if his favorite three Stina Blackstenius, Fridolina Rolfö and Sofia Jakobsson needed to be refreshed.
From underdogs to one of the favorites in the EC 2022
The matches in the oppressive Japanese heat at last year’s Olympics should have been energy efficient – but, since everything else seemed to wither, Sweden remained bright and determined until their inability to score before the tournament returned to the rescheduled final in Yokohama. Sweden’s better chances were begging when the match crept from regular time to extra time to detect kicks and, eventually, sudden-death penalties. Canada won 3-2 at night, as each team only scored two of their five goal kicks before Jonna Andersson missed and Julia Grosso scored.
While Sweden fell short again in Japan, they were barely recognized by the team that took silver at the 2016 Olympics under Sundhage’s pragmatic approach, scoring just four goals for the entire tournament in Brazil. While Sweden’s first silver in Rio had been an achievement of pure determination and painful concentration match after match to keep the opposition away – a tactic that was celebrated a lot – their others were seen by those on the team as a painful reminder of their failure in Yokohama. As Asllani said after the match: “I’m so f — ing tired of having a f — ing silver medal.”
Gerhardsson had added expressiveness and fun to the team, and throughout his term of office, there has been joy over how the players got on the field – in how they grew and trained their brains to be sure of being favorites. Under Gerhardsson, Sweden was no longer underdogs.
When they entered the field in Tokyo, the team was able to balance both worldwide confidence and humility in their minds, so that their opening win over world champion USWNT was not a surprise but nothing more. than one win.
For the players in the Swedish squad, the Olympic final against Canada had been their first real taste of being clear favorites, of having an expectation that they would do something they had never had before. The intention was to not only take a first Olympic gold ever in football but to end a 37-year wait for their second major tournament award. Maybe another day the ball bounces a little differently and Sweden can convert more than one of its 30 total shots. Or maybe it was a loss that always needed to happen, to provide a more teachable lesson going forward.
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The clichés are that one learns more from a loss than a gain, or that the struggles make the eventual success all the sweeter, or that such a loss is the greatest motivation. However it is, which has been seen during the five years since Gerhardsson took responsibility, there is little that can be thrown at Sweden’s squad that they can not take calmly or overcome together.
For the veterans of the team like Seger and Lindahl – the goalkeeper the only player who lived, albeit toddlers, most recently Sweden won the European Championship – there are only so many more times they will line up in a big tournament, and there are a few more fitting than a golden goodbye.
Drawn into a group at EM 2022 with Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal, Sweden is more than familiar with its resistance. Undefeated during regular time in their last 29 matches, a run that stretches back to March 2020, few teams look as strong as the Swedes before the tournament. The challenge will be to keep a steady level and not reach the top too soon.
In his third major tournament under Gerhardsson, perhaps the third time is the charm.