Granqvist leads the defensive wall

Emil Forsberg ousts Switzerland and sends Sweden into World Cup last eight Read more

Janne Andersson has built this team on sturdy defensive principles and the most obvious thing to note is how they compress space, leaving hardly any of it between the lines. Sweden defend with all 11 players and they are happy to cede possession to the opposition, working to break up attacks and waiting to strike on the counter.

They believe England could be vulnerable in the areas behind their attack-minded wing-backs, Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young. The watchwords are organisation, discipline and physicality and Andersson’s team have shown themselves extremely hard to unpick. The headline statistic shows they have kept clean sheets in three of their four games thus far and only Germany – in the second group game – have created a decent number of chances against them.

Sweden’s last two games – against Mexico and, in the last 16, Switzerland – have been near perfect in the execution of their gameplan. Both teams were restricted and the impression was of them running into a yellow wall. Sweden were also able to break out to threaten at the other end. Andreas Granqvist is the defensive leader and cult hero; a muscular presence at the heart of the back four.

Play Video 0:42 Andreas Granqvist on his wife's pregnancy: she wants me to stay here – video

Berg’s lack of goals hard to gloss over

When Marcus Berg sprinted through on goal in the early going against Switzerland, played in by Ola Toivonen’s flick, it looked as though it would be his moment. But the striker snatched at the chance and sliced it grotesquely wide. It summed up how his finishing skills have deserted him and it is plain that his confidence in front of goal is low. Andersson said what all managers say when their strikers misfire – he is delighted with Berg’s all-round game and how he is working for the team. But strikers are judged on goals. Berg’s travails talk to a broader picture because – apart from in the Mexico game – the lack of cutting edge has been a problem. On the plus side Sweden are creating chances; witness the handful of good ones they carved out in the first half against Switzerland. They might need to start taking more of them.

Forsberg the dangerman

In the post-Zlatan landscape much has been made of how Andersson’s team is one in the truest sense – with an absence of ego and star names. Emil Forsberg is the closest that Sweden have to a big noise, although he is hardly the type to shout the odds. The RB Leipzig attacking midfielder is known for his humility. Forsberg is a lovely player to watch when he is on his game, as he was against Switzerland, and in many respects he goes against the grain in this solid and workmanlike team. Playing off the left side in Andersson’s 4-4-2 system, Forsberg is blessed with a velvet touch and fine technique, which means he is happy to receive the ball in tight areas and, invariably, moves his team positively from them. He did not perform consistently during the group phase, flickering rather than firing, but the manner in which he stepped up in the last 16 boded well. Forsberg is the Swedish player that brings the fantasy for this team.

Watch out for the passion killers

The Switzerland manager, Vladimir Petkovic, was under fire in his post-match press conference and he was struggling to explain why his team had played with so little pace or passion. He sought to shift the blame away from his own players and shine a light on what Sweden had done. Petkovic felt that their patient approach had served to lower the temperature and make it impossible for his team to generate any traction, any aggression or drive. “I’ve seen Sweden’s other games and all of their opponents have had a hard time developing these emotions against them,” Petkovic said. Germany did manage to summon the intensity against them in the second half – perhaps, out of desperation, as they faced elimination from the tournament – but Petkovic’s point was sound. Sweden have largely been able to neutralise their opponents; to place them in a choke hold that has them tapping out.

Sweden cruise to victory over Mexico as both qualify for World Cup last 16 Read more

Lack of elite-level experience

This is Sweden’s first World Cup since 2006, so it is no great surprise that it is a first finals for every member of Andersson’s squad. What is striking is the relatively humble levels at which they play their domestic football. The Manchester United centre-half, Victor Lindelöf, is the only player contracted to an elite club while Andersson has just two others – Celtic’s Mikael Lustig and Forsberg – who have played Champions League football this past season. The right-back Lustig is suspended for the quarter-final. Andersson has relied on players from Krasnodar, Hull City, Seattle Sounders and al-Ain, and it has certainly spoken volumes for his ability to fashion a team that is more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, if the England game is surely the biggest in the careers of many of the Sweden players, will their relative lack of high-level experience be a factor?