Oh yeah? Pffft. I had to give up on the idea of a 3rd-place playlist - which spared me from having to play an entire CD worth of Abba and conjuring up the image of a chain-smoking Serge Gainsbourg to represent the athletic endeavors of France.
Ignoring Daft Punk, there are many classic, timeless artistes such as Alizée. Perhaps France Gall (but then we're back to old Sergy G) and, to a lesser extent Mylène Farmer
See! Struggle to field a Starting XI without resorting to a bunch of chainsmokers, don't we? (Surprised you didn't at least fling Robyn at me.) Daft Punk. I am intrigued and I'll have to check it out. I wonder if they have Dan Loney's Seal of Approval - has he been deftly slipping deathless Daft Punk references by us this whole time?
Here's a 3-minute report from SVT about whether the daughters of immigrants face discrimination when it comes to being selected for national football teams. It also features short interviews with Lars-Åke Lagrell (head of the SvFF), who says that immigrant girls don't always get support from their parents to play football, and Torbjörn Nilsson (coach of Kopparbergs/Göteborg), who agrees and thinks it will take up to 15 years for immigrant kids to be fully represented. Personally I think (or at least I hope) that Nilsson may be a little pessimistic here; the report also features several early teen-agey-ish girls who seem to be quite prepared to center their lives around football. I remember that there was some fuss when Kosovare Asllani was not selected for the WWC squad, but (in my opinion at least) she simply had not been playing as well as other players. Have there been any other daughters-of-immigrants on the horizon for national team selection? I can't remember offhand.
This is a reflection of the old "Zlatina-debate" ("Where is the Zlatan of women's football?") There isn't many 2:nd generation immigrants in youth NT:s either, so I guess Torbjörn Nilsson is right, it will take some time. My impression is that the immigrant girls are playing basket instead of football.
Just for the history's sake, here's Team Sweden for tonight's friendly against Germany. The link goes to svenskfotboll.se's pre-gram report, which includes a link to dfb.tv and an interview with Grings, Neid, and Bartusiak (in decreasing order of despicability). Starters: 1 Hedvig Lindahl - 13 Lina Nilsson, 2 Charlotte Rohlin, 7 Sara Larsson, 6 Sara Thunebro - 11 Antonia Göransson, 5 Caroline Seger, 18 Nilla Fischer, 15 Therese Sjögran - 8 Lotta Schelin, 16 Madelaine Edlund Subs: 12 Kristin Hammarström - 3 Linda Sembrant, 4 Annica Svensson, 9 Jessica Landström, 10 Johanna Almgren, 14 Susanne Moberg, 17. Lisa Dahlkvist
r.e. recent Germany 1, Sweden 0 friendly. They really did not project an attitude of giving a hoot, and none of the subs seemed out to impress Dennerby. I'm not saying I fell asleep, but no one in it really set the place on fire either. I suppose the domestically-employed Swedes are probably a little tired after a long season. I thought at least Göransson and Schelin looked okay, all things considered, and Seger at least was a little lively, and Edlund surely is fast, once she has something to run at. Otherwise... meh.
Almgren. Almgren looked like she at least was awake. She *chased* the ball! She *won* the ball! She *held* the ball! The couch-dwellers (at least on my couch) that night were going "Why do the Swedish players pass in panic, then stop stock still as soon as they've got rid of the ball?" Almgren can do something that few of her team mates manage(d): she can *hold the ********ing ball* until she has some support. [I don't know why, but typing that just made me spontaneously miss Victoria Svensson.] Which brings me to Moberg: did anybody else feel like kicking Dennerby in the groin for allowing Susanne Moberg no more than 3 minutes on the field? And while we're there, where the hell is Lisa Ek?
Sweden's upcoming friendlies in North America should possibly be renamed the Debutante's Tour: out are Rohlin, Seger, and Lina Nilsson, with Linda Forsberg retiring too. In are Emma Berglund (Umeå), Emmelie Konradsson (Umeå), and Marina Pettersson (Örebro).
Team Sweden leaves for the US some time this morning, and they will be going without Therese Sjögran who has a cold. Here's the list of who will be making the trip. It's hardly the A-team—that is, it's not the team that won the bronze medal (and beat the US in round play). No Marie Hammarström, no Seger, no Sjögran for the midfield; no Nilsson, no Rohlin for the defense. Still, for some reason, the team leaves me somewhat hopeful. I am looking forward to seeing defender Jessica Samuelsson play, as she had a fantastic domestic season; maybe Moberg will also play up front. It would be nice to see Kristin Hammarström start in goal, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Meanwhile this article notes that no fewer than 5 Damallsvenskar will be on the team for Canada: Stéphanie Labbé, Erin McLeod, Emily Zurrer, Carmelina Moscato and Melissa Tancredi.
And now the midfield is looking even shakier: Sofia Jokobsson and Antonia Göransson have stomach flu. Göransson is definitely out, Jakobsson uncertain. They've been isolated from the rest of the squad and Dennerby rather helpfully pointed out that they're all making good use of hand disinfectant . I wonder if Dennerby now rues the decision not to call in a replacement for Sjögran?
May 26th is FA Women's Cup Final day in England. So we can make a giant assumption that Little, Beattie and Fleeting will not be available
From the La Manga unofficial training friendly: Sweden beats Norway 2-0, goals by new co-captain Nilla Fischer (Charlotte Rohlin is the other one) and Antonia Göransson. Caroline Seger has stepped down as captain, presumably so that she can focus on her passing and not be distracted by the seething roiling mass of emotion and political intrigue that marks Team Sweden. [/sarcasm] Sweden played with a single forward, Lotta Schelin; no word yet on how that worked. Actually there's not words of much at all, except for those which non-starting players reported at a certain bird-themed social networking site. One of those players apparently managed to take a picture of one of the goals with her phone. Her report was re-broadcast by someone who said that it was nice of her to risk the hideous potential fees of out-of-country internet hookup to report from the bench. Right on! especially the 'from the bench' part
^^ You have now made me realise that Twitter is much more FUN, experienced vicariously (although this may only apply if you're doing the 'apparently...and thens...and he said...and she said'). Though this may be defeating it's very purpose. Mind, it doesn't stop other forms of media reporting on 'a certain bird-themed social networking site' as if it was a news generating entity in itself. Someone also pointed out - via above-mentioned medium - and may even appear here later to repeat it, that this makes Sweden a bit better than England and nearly as good as Northern Ireland.
And the answer is, Schelin looks pretty good there. Here are some a minute or so of actual moving pictures from the game against Norway (thanks to @Dandal). The first goal by Fischer is a tad crappy but only a tad (clean-up header after some futzing about in Norway's goal area, with the initial service provided by L8), and the second one from Göransson is a beaut. If anything happened in this game for Norway fans to cheer about, Swedish TV has declined to show it, except for one somewhat familiar-looking incident of Lindahl not quite committing to getting the ball after leaving her line. Cap'n Fischer is the main interviewee of the clip. Unclear antecedent: who is 'them'? Themselves, or Scotland? (I would think Sweden but perhaps you don't like Little, Beattie, or Fleeting...)
Team rosters are out for the U23s for La Manga, and the oldies— err, I meant the Senior Team for Algarve. Of interest... ooo, golly, where to start? How about with a pair of heels? The senior team welcomes back defender Stina Segerström, who injured hers and has been out almost the entire last year; defender Sara Larsson has meanwhile just had hers operated on and will not make the trip. Another, more metaphoric couple of heels appear: defender Sara Thunebro and forward-ish-kinda-thing Jessica Landström, both of whom now play for Frankfurt, have made on the roster. The HammarTwins are also there (goalkeeper Kristin and midfielder Marie), as are thrice-capped young things forward Susanne Moberg and defender Emma Berglund, and older young things midfielders Sofia Jakobsson and Antonia Göransson. As far as the young team goes, some interesting names there... One name I've typed a lot in the context of the senior team is Kosovare Asllani; Louise Fors has been there once or twice too, I believe. The U23 coach better get what use she can out of defender Jessica Samuelsson; I think she's destined for the senior squad as soon as someone dies off— oops, I meant, 'retires.' Two more names of note: Matilda Agné, who I think improved remarkably over a year that was otherwise Hammarby's worst ever (and who seems just so darn sweetly proud/embarrassed when her famous dad waves from the stands), and then of course Sara Storck, who is healthy again after a year recovering from a torn ACL.
"I can just spend hours playing the game. I cannot explain it. For me it is something like meditation." Landis on FIFA.com
Hmm. That could explain a lot. (wonder if watching from the bench as her team gets thrashed 0-4 counts as Iyengar yoga) And speaking of the 0-4 thrashing by Germany today, I also suppose that will put an end to (today's starting keeper) Sofia Lundgren complaining about Coach Dennerby's goalie selection process. Note to Lundgren: next time you want to raise a stink, don't do it right before you play Germany...
On the other hand, I'd say that she was one of the LEAST culpable today . There are special places in football hell for most of the rest of them. Seger did nothing but pass back to a defence that couldn't distribute a ball, nor block one. Remind me again why she should have such a bouncy and boisterous ego? Sembrant played the worst I have ever seen her play. Hammarström should have been taken off much earlier and replaced by a Thunebro that can at least still put crosses in. (Dennerby, were you watching at all?) Rohlin made screechingly basic mistakes, compounded by the fact that the commentator at one point insisted that she was "one of the world's best central defenders" or such like. Speedy Jakobsson even let herself be beat by BARTUSIAK, FFS! That's it, I can't take any more . The only Brownie points I have to hand out are "For Effort in the Face of Useless Teammates" and go to Antonia Göransson. Her attempts to do something with the ball other than pass it back (or pass it to the people in white) smacked of a "******** It, I'm Not Standing For This" attitude that her teammates could have done with. Actually, I have some other Brownie points for Victoria Svensson, who tanned the hide of Eurosport's Marcus Bühlund in commenting on the match, analysing play, IDENTIFYING players and making note of substitutions. It ended up being embarrassing to listen to her correcting him.
Sigh. Agree on all points, even the commentator. It was so bad that even I could tell. At one point I thought 'That's like the tenth time Svensson's had to correct him about which player that was, and hell, even I could tell from here that that was Edlund not Göranssonwho played that ball out...' I'll give a small nod to Annica Svensson. She seemed to do okay on defense, and took out either Popp or Mittag (can't remember) once in a way that made me chortle... although she showed none of the offense potential that she sometimes does. So maybe half a brownie point.
Hi, Jocasta, Smulan, and every Sweden around. Sorry to bother you on this thread, since this time my beloved Nadeshiko Japan didn't even crossed its path with Sweden... I posed a question on the Algarve/Cyprus thread of the Women's Rivalry forum, that regards something more than this single tournament; it can be summarized this way: can anyone explain to me why Sweden senior women team never ever won some meaningful tournament, although they've always been regarded as one of the best teams in the world? In particular, why they always seem wonderfully brilliant at the beginning of tournaments and then they somehow seem to choke as push comes to shove, and end being 3th or 4th at max? Please, take no offense: I don't mean to be offensive at all. I am just curious about why this team always look so promising and never raises to the best-team status. Since I don't follow Sweden team very much, I thought I could ask to some Sweden fans on this forum to explain this mystery to me...