As footballers say, it’s the games you have to win 100% that are the hardest. Sweden can confirm this. Belgium was the lowest-ranked side of all the teams remaining. They don’t have a fully-professional league and, compared to Sweden’s No.2, are only the 19th strongest team in the world. Out of all the sides in the quarter-finals, they scored the fewest goals, made the fewest passes and took the fewest shots on goal. In the game against Sweden, they had everything to win and nothing to lose.
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What went wrong for Sweden
Objectively, Sweden was better than Belgium in yesterday’s game, but they were not nearly as good as everybody expected them to be. Compared to Germany, whose mutual understanding seems nearly telepathic at times, the Swedes moved like a disjointed unit. They lacked fluidity and awareness, with quite many poor passes, crosses into nowhere, clumsy collisions among themselves and other consequences of miscommunication.
Their efficiency is also a subject of critical remarks. The numbers say it all: the Swedish had 34 total attempts on goal compared to Belgium’s three, they conducted 62 attacks compared to Belgium’s 23, and they took 13 corners compared to Belgium’s two. Finishing remains their biggest issue, as only 8 out of all 34 attempts were on target. The accuracy of the Swedes certainly didn’t improve as the rain started to drop (= to pour) and they had to continue playing on a slippery field with a slippery ball.
In the attack, Sweden lacked composure, assertiveness and creativity. They took too many touches, made too many unnecessary passes and were generally very hesitant to shoot. As the commentator noted, with 34 Swedish attempts on goal, there was not one particularly dangerous to remember. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Belgium’s defence was exemplary in holding the Swedes, limiting them to (often very inaccurate…) shots from the distance. Statistically, a team scores from every 12th corner, and Belgium made Sweden go all the way as they scored from their 13th.
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The core of Swedish problems
The Swedish team brings a lot of class and experience into this tournament. With an average age of more than 29 years old, this squad is packed with players, who have already experienced numerous international tournaments, won the World Cup bronze and at least one Olympic silver. The Swedish players know exactly what it means to play under pressure, but why did the lowest-ranked side out of all remaining make it so hard for them?
The first possible explanation is that the Swedish team has been hit by COVID absences. Jonna Andersson and Hannah Glas had to miss the game against Belgium, while Hanna Bennison and Jennifer Falk missed training sessions due to COVID and might still not be 100% fit to play. The absence of Andersson and Glas was particularly noticeable for the Swedish midfield, as these players bring a lot of creativity to the game playing on the flanks.
Secondly, it is very possible that more Swedish players remain unfit to play. Despite the fact, that things were clearly not going very well for Sweden, their manager made only one substitution for the entire game, and even this one had to wait until the 84th minute.
Finally, playing against Belgium could have been so hard for the Swedes because it was clearly not their type of game. Belgians committed all the 11 bodies available to the defence, didn’t waste their energy for high pressing, and almost didn’t move forward. In other words, Belgians parked the bus and most likely were waiting for the penalties. And what a bus it was! The Belgian defence was compact and well-organised, with almost no empty spaces in their penalty area for the Swedish team to exploit.
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Post-Game Reaction
It has to be said that, mentally, this match must have been much tougher for the Swedes than for the Belgians. Unlike Sweden, Belgium has achieved its goal for this tournament, already exceeded everyone’s expectations and had nothing further to prove. In contrast to them, Sweden’s goal is to win this tournament like in the good old 1984. For such an ambition, the inconsistency of their performance in this Euro remains an issue. The fact that it took them 93 minutes to score against the biggest underdog of the quarter-finals must have been frustrating and discouraging, but they certainly can take credit for keeping pushing even though nothing seemed to work. Sometimes, it’s the only way to win. Perhaps even every time.
Written by Olesia Andersen
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