'Looking good'
Although separated by a decade in years and 52 caps in international football,
the forwards are united by a common cause as the Swedes look to advance from a
section including Italy and Denmark. "You have to do your best, work hard
and see what happens," said Larsson, who played against Bulgaria in the
third-place play-off at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. "We've had a fantastic
time so far in Portugal and everything's looking good."
Duo confident
Despite a relative lack of experience playing together, Larsson and Ibrahimovic
are confident they will perform in tandem. "We've learnt more about each
other both on and off the pitch which is very important," said the
32-year-old Larsson. "If we play we'll see how our co-operation pays
off."
Respect paid
Ibrahimovic was keen to deflect emphasis away from individuals and on to the
team spirit that has served Sweden so well in the past. "We've got a lot of
individually skilful players but Sweden have always built success around the
team and that has not changed here," said the AFC Ajax man. "We
believe in ourselves as a unit."
Air of anticipation
This strong focus exists throughout the training camp, with the 23-man squad
concentrating only on Monday night. "It's different the closer you get to
the game," said Anders Andersson of the atmosphere in the camp. "The
amount of freedom lessens and you can feel that something big is about to
happen." Andersson will certainly be used to the setting in the Portuguese
capital, having spent last season on loan at CF Os Belenenses.
Tactical preparation
Sweden co-coaches Tommy Söderberg and Lars Lagerbäck held a tactical
session last night. "It's vital that the boys know who we are facing and
it's always good to see how you can best use your tactics to exploit
weaknesses," said Söderberg. More should be known about the starting
lineup after tomorrow's training session at the Estˆhdio Josˆm Alvalade.