Stockholm/Nizhny Novgorod, Russia: Sweden are back at the World Cup finals after a 12-year absence. The team coached by Janne Andersson are aiming to advance from a group that features world champions Germany, Mexico, and South Korea.
To do so, Sweden need to score.
“337 minutes without a goal,” said Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter a few days after the Swedish squad arrived at their base in Gelendzhikon the Black Sea.
The headline summed up Sweden’s dilemma, especially after Andersson decided not to ask Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come out of international retirement. The goal drought has been a recurrent theme when Andersson and players have met the media. The coach has not publicly stated he is worried, saying the team has created “a lot of chances.”
“We have not played a competitive match since November. During 12 qualification matches we left the pitch without scoring on two occasions — away to the Netherlands and in the second play-off match against Italy,” he recently told reporters after a training session in Russia.
Forward Marcus Berg, tipped as a starter, has also been quizzed.
“I’m not dwelling on it,” said Berg, who plays for Al Ain in the UAE.
During qualification he scored eight goals for Sweden, including four against Luxembourg in a rout last October.
“Recent matches have not been so good, but we are confident in what we can accomplish and we scored many goals in qualification,” Berg said. Berg, 31, usually starts with Ola Toivonen, who has not seen much action with his French side Toulouse. — dpa
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