Spain’s and Sweden’s World Cup semi-final in Auckland on Tuesday is so tough to call. The winner will be the team that have the best day executing their plan and it is so exciting to see two teams with such clear identities face each other. It’s a game I not only look forward to as a Swede but also as a lover of the game. There will be so many nuances and tactical battles for the players and coaches to solve.
This is the fourth consecutive major tournament in which Sweden have reached at least the semi‑finals so it would be wrong to say it is a surprise they have made the last four. However, considering the changes they have needed to make and how tough the draw was on their side then their performances have been highly impressive. Their quarter-final against Japan was astonishing. A lot of people had Japan as favourites and yet Sweden won comfortably.
They nullified Japan, laying a clear foundation and their own plan was perfectly executed. Japan had previously profited on counterattacking opportunities through the middle but Sweden kept the ball really well, usually attacking down the right side. That meant if they lost the ball they had not lost it in those central areas. Instead, their counter‑pressing won the ball back, leading to set‑pieces, and in the end goals.
Every Swedish player is a defender when they don’t have the ball. The defensive actions are performed as a collective. They value a player out of possession just as much as in possession.
Under Peter Gerhardsson, their coach, Sweden will almost always attempt that overload on the right, try to dictate their opponent to play on their left side. His players know what tasks at which they must succeed. That’s fundamental to any successful team but there is also a question of balance, of how rigid you must be when the opportunity comes to switch the ball to the other side.
Against South Africa in the group stage, I heard Sweden’s coaches realised they had spoken too much about the forward Thembi Kgatlana. Every time she ran in behind, asking for the ball, the Swedish defence dropped off. That resulted in the team leaving a lot of space in front of them instead. Usually they are strong in this area and can step up and win the ball. Against South Africa they couldn’t. The lesson became clear: don’t change your own style because of an individual. I’d say Sweden stay 90% consistent with their own approach with the remaining 10% dependent on the opposition.
It is a team full of belief, and after working together for many years they are confident in their collective strengths, hardworking and humble. They’ve stayed calm and composed even during times of struggle. In football, you will usually be rewarded for that.
Stina Blackstenius, my Arsenal forward, works incredibly hard. One thing she is absolutely world-class at is running in behind defences – and the game against Spain looks made for her. Spain have enjoyed the most possession in every game and they will doubtless have that against Sweden too, but should they lose the ball at the wrong time then Stina can punish them. Kosovare Asllani usually picks up the ball in those transitional areas and she knows exactly where Stina runs, how she wants the ball and has the technical ability to find her. That’s a big weapon for Sweden.
Asllani, before Peter took over, was a typical No 10. She has always had good vision and technique but now she is more important for her defensive qualities, becoming the orchestrator of the press, starting off against one of the central midfielders, working out when to apply pressure to the left-central defender and closing down the passing lane to the No 6.
That requires an awful lot of game intelligence and Asllani is so good at those decisions. She’s absolutely key for Sweden’s defending, and when you combine that with her attacking quality that’s why she’s an integral part of a team reaching the past four semi-finals. She makes it all look so natural.
Goalkeeper, meanwhile, was the one position over which Sweden entered the tournament with uncertainty. Hedvig Lindahl had been first choice for a very long time but she was left out of the World Cup squad and the coaching staff went with Chelsea’s Zecira Musovic, whom I had the privilege to work with when she came to Malmö to be a backup keeper. I’ve seen at close hand the grittiness and the hard work she puts in. She eventually won the battle to be first choice at Malmö and she is increasingly winning her place within a tough environment in west London, too. To see all that work pay off when there’s been no guarantees, to see the beautiful dreams she has achieved, that is so special. She deserves her moment, it has been inspirational to see. At so many different points she could have found an excuse to stop believing.
I first knew Elin Rubensson, the defensive midfielder, as a centre‑forward. She chose a different path, became a mum, and has played her whole club career in Sweden. And now she has replaced Caroline Seger, the captain, in the starting XI. Elin has always been full of game intelligence but now shows real maturity. Having worked with her at Malmö it is really nice to see her seize the moment in this role. Back in 2013, she was 20, I was her head coach and used her as a full-back. She told me then she would end up in central midfield.
Spain’s passing game from midfield represents a big threat. They play in the same style as in previous World Cups but with greater clarity when it comes to creating goalscoring opportunities. In this tournament they are attacking far more down the flanks as well as the central areas they usually dominate, and now you cannot easily choose which area to leave to them.
When you have these possibilities, that is when football becomes like a blanket that is too short for a bed; you can never cover your feet and head at the same time. That’s the choice Spain force their opponents to make. Sweden prefer to defend centrally and stay compact and this could lead to plenty of space for Spain in these wide attacking positions. Whichever team gain control of the blanket will probably be the one heading to the final.
