Official Sweden vs England PRE Match Thread [R]

The tabloid "Aftonbladet" claims to have gotten the starting lineup for Sweden - Two changes from the Paraguay game:

-------------------Isaksson-----------------
-Alexandersson--Mellberg--Lucic--Edman-
------------------Linderoth-----------------
----Jonsson---Kallstrom---Ljungberg----
----------Larsson---------Allback---------

- Apparently Jonsson is seen as better on defense than Wilhelmsoon - presumably to counter J.Cole
- Allback replaces Ibrahimovic due to injury, but Ibrahimovic could be available on the bench

Anyway... consider the suspect source, but this lineup would not shock me.

My speculation on likely subs:
Svensson (for Kallstrom)
Elmander (for Jonsson)
Rosenberg (for Allback)
Ibrahimovic (if we are desparate )

 

Actually if we win or draw we proceed to the next round. Even if we lose, Trinidad and Tobago have to win their match but a certain amount of goals to beat us in goal difference.

He has sucked this entire tournament. Of all the time he has had posession he has done nothing but go solo and screw up...and judging by the way he's been running the past two games, it looks like he's giving no effort to win the 50:50. Like Beckham he's overrated. Notice previous goals in tournaments has been lucky headers because he's so tall. He does not have the same ball-handling skill as some others on the team.

In terms of ball-handling skill the following players seem most appealing: Larsson, Ljunberg, and Wilhelmsson.

 

Zlatan at 70% form is still superior to Allback at 100%. Once he shakes off the injurey he'll score soon. I think.

IMO The only players so far that have displayed great individual ball handling skills are:
Wilhelmsson and Elmander. (Zlatan has skills as we know, but so far they have been absent)

Larsson isn't really that kind of player - he likes to pass other players more than taking on defenders.
Ljungberg of course just runs headfirst at defenders, counting on his speed not skills to beat them.

 

jonson in for chippen is a joke. Now we got two subpar players on the field with jonson and allback. lol, easy win for England.

 

I can see what you're trying to do, it aint working

 

nono, I am honest! I hate these old untechical players! Sweden now has got a very old team on the field vs england. rdy for retirement?

larsson 34
allback 33
jonson 32
ljungberg 29
kallstrom 23
linderoth ?
lukic 33
alexandersson 33
mellberg ?
edman ?

wow, what a joke...

 

Yeah and the all bag hatricks for tonights game huh?

 

I hope allbad dont score. I guess we have to hope for paraguay beating T&T

 

This was before the Sweden-Paraguay game

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8665075&postcount=3
https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8669065&postcount=11

What are you Swedes up to? you won that game 1-0 in the end! you trying these tricks again?

 

Everyone knows this. The fact is that if they play for the draw, SWE may lose and be out. That's why they must play for the win. You don't read english very well. I even said that SWE will lose and TNT will win and SWE will still go through on goal diff.

 

It is the swedish mentality to be pessimistic before a game so that we get a positive surprise when we win.

 

Well, It wasnt a swedish flag, it was a Boca Juniors flag... They have the same colour and flag.

 

The Swedish team selection makes sense in light of how the play has looked in the two first group games.
Deep down Lagerbäck probably is a bit relived that Zlatan is injured.
Zlatan has been awful in the first games and now he gets some rest and the pressure on him will easy up and since he is injured Lagerbäck will not have to make the unpopular decision to bench one of the star players.
Allbäck and Larsson has connected well in the past and it will be interesting to see what they can do together from the start in this game.
Jonsson instead of Willhelmsson is a very logical change. Willhelmssons strength lies in his attacking skills and ability to beat his man. His defensive quality is, to put it nicely, very limited. As Willhelmsson has not manage to create much against weaker teams like T & T and Paraguay, it is unlikely he would fare better against England and the thought of seeing Willhelmsson trying to defend against Joe Cole is not an pleasant one (unless you are English.. ).
Jonsson can do a much better job in the defence and although he is not the kind of player that beats his man one on one, he will keep on running down the flank and if feed the right balls he can make room to put in some good crosses in the box.
In the second half it is likely we will se Jonsson being replaced by Wilhelmsson or Elmander who both will have it easier doing their job against tiring opponents.
How well the defence holds up will be the key for Sweden against England. So far they have looked surprisingly solid but now they will face much stonger opponents then before.

 

Are you a swede? Have you seen Jonson play? He cant defend at all, he cant do much except run for that sake. And what has exactly been wrong with Wilhelmssons defending thus far? But for that sake! even saying so, I wouldnt mind a more defensive option, someone who could strenghten the midfield as well, but the likes of Jonson or Nilsson arnt capable of that.

 

I think both teams will play for the draw

 

So what is your point? His running and the fact that he can hold his position and back up Alexandersson is the whole point of playing him.
To be creative is not Jonssons responsbility. To give the space for Ljungberg and Källström/Svensson to create you need to have work horses that are ready to do the more unfasionable parts of the footballing trade. Sweden is not a team that can afford the luxury of carrying deadweight for 89 minutes hoping for an occational glimpse of class. If a "flair" player can not delivier with consistency it is only room for him on the bench.

Apart from the fact that he probably would be tackled of the ball by an eight year old girl I guess Wilhelmsson is a decent defender.
But i can agree that Jonsson is not the ideal choice for right midfield, that would have been Alexandersson, but since Sweden has no right back he has to play there. Not much Lagerbäck can do about that, he has to play the cards he has been dealt.

 

I have full faith in Sweden pulling a win.
Sweden 2-1 England.
Maybe if England looked like they were doing something the last 2 matches, I would be more concerned, but they sure aren't playing all that organized. Not saying Sweden is doing much better, but they look more determined and they need the win more.

 

Wilhelmsson is twice the player jonson is. I still remember jonson for causing that penalty to argentina in WC 2002. awful player.

 

Ah always the same cliches. The thing is I did mention we could have a more balanced side - Källström, Wilhelmsson, Ljungberg isnt a balanced midfield really - I'm well aware of that, and you might have noticed, I did suggest that we use another defensive midfielder. You really didnt have to lecture me on about balance. Ridicelous really. Why did you go on about like that.

Anyway, Wilhelmsson had a mediocre game against Paraguay but why stample him as a flair player and settle with that? He's stopped dribbling alltogheter and hardly ever has more than 2 touches. And although mediocre ( poor crosses, too early crosses, need to stay out wide, need to use his pace more) he was still active and his workrate was exellent, and by far surpassed Ljungbergs ( who did ******** all in defence. Exellent game though. No coincidence that he won the game for us. He's a winner) and Källströms. Wilhelmsson actually stopped plenty of counters. He doesnt win balls with physical presence but if you actually had watched the game more closely he did nick the ball off his opponents quite a few times, stopping a few dangerous counters - he did it with the help of his extreme pace, agility and technique (yes you do use technique even when winning the ball)
Now, now, replace Chippen for a more defensive option? Fine, fine, thats one idea and I wouldnt be upset with it. But then replace him with someone who can help out Linderoth as well, and offers some sort of tactical awarness.
Always these cliches - " we need a more stable player to help out alexandersson" -what a bunch of nonsense. Its been the central midfield that suffered defensively - on the rigth we havent conceded a single dangerous fricking cross since we used the Alex/chippen combination. Is this all due to Alexandersson?

And as for Jonson - lets get back to him after the game. In my views he's never looked like a footballer. He's never been a defender. He's been rubbish in his subs appearences so far. Elmander did more in his 6 minutes than Jonson done in his two appearances combined. But blahblah, he'll start today and thats that. We'll see. Have a say on his performance thouhg, will ya? Pls do. btw, I still remember that tackle he made against Argentina. Anyone can concede a penalty but that "attempt" for a tackle was just atrocous. And how he lost the ball, for senegal to counter and win the game...ah I really wonder what sort of critizism the likes of Källström, Wilhelmsson, Zlatan etc would have faced for that - lack of dicipline, lack of experience. Terrible, terrible.

ah these frigging cliches.

 

I agree. Jonson can run, but he can't play football. Lagerback is a very strange man who always turn to jonson despite poor performances from him.

 

To be fair Jonsson has been a reliable substitute, making a difference in important games. (Scoring the late equalizer vs. Denmark in Euro 2004, assist to Zlatan in the Hungary goal)

So yeah I'm not excited about him either - but just like Allback, he is one of those unflashy players that Lagerback has relied on successfully in the past.

 

ah atleast the swedish fans is class

 

I have a really bad feeling about this match.
Not based on the both teams performances in the WC so far because Sweden has actually looked much more solid then England.
It is more of a gut feeling that all of the talk about how Sweden has not lost to England in 38 years and how surprisingly well the Swedish defence have done will jinx it.
Sooner or later Sweden will loose to England that is for sure, and it is annoying that somehow a lot of pepole has started to take for granted that Sweden just can not loose against England.
And yes, the Swedish defence has done well but lets face it they have been up against an almost nonexistent T & T attack and a clueless and out of form Paraguay. Playing against Rooney & co. will be a different matter.
I am sure Sven-Göran Eriksson will instruct his players to put the pressure on Alexandersson. This game will be the real test if Alexandersson is a rightback of World Cup calibre.
This game will probably end with a 2-0 defeat for Sweden and a to top it all Trinidad & Tobago will beat Paraguay with a stoppage time goal and it all will be over for Sweden.

 

Spot on...except 4-1 final

 

England will be plenty motived given the difference between playing Ecuador and having to face Germany in Germany!