Sweden will be an uncomfortable opposition

One impressive rearguard action — including just enough attacking flair to keep us interested — against the French out of the way, England now face the familiar problem of having to overcome the stubborn Swedes. Fabio Capello may have led England to victory against the Scandinavians at Wembley in a friendly late last year, but the Three Lions are still waiting for a first ever competitive win against the yellow-shirted masters of frustration. Sweden have an annoying habit of playing greater than the sum of their parts, particularly against the English, taking hard-earned draws during the group stages of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. They may not have been as watchable as their brilliant Thunderbirds-style strips in their opening defeat to Ukraine, but Roy Hodgson and his team will under-estimate them at their peril. Sweden’s team tends to be made up of players who earn careers as middle-of-the-road Premier League squad-fillers, but get them together and give them Zlatan Ibrahimovic (formerly the outstanding Henrik Larsson) as the fulcrum of their attack and they become uncomfortable opposition. Undoubtedly one weakness they possess at Euro 2012, which England are more than capable of taking advantage of, is a vulnerability from crosses.While it was great to see Andriy Shevchenko score twice for Ukraine at the age of 35, it was noticeable that the Swedes were, unusually, badly organised at the back. The second goal was particularly poor from boss Erik Hamren’s point of view — Sweden neglected to have a defender as the first man at a corner to cut out the low cross; Shevchenko was allowed to win a clean header ahead of his marker; and the man supposedly on the post went walkabout to gift Ukraine their winner. And with England’s only goal against France coming with a header from a set-piece, the likes of Joleon Lescott, John Terry and, if picked, Andy Carroll will scent a chance every time the ball comes into the box. But England are likely to face the problem of having to take the game to the opposition, which could be an issue. The pressure will be on youngsters Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — in the continued absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney — to go from promising starts against France to delivering goals against Sweden. If they can combine effectively, England should take a giant step towards the quarter-finals, but if not then it could be a long and frustrating night.from gulfnews.com