In the second of his Euro 2016 Blog Network instalments, Anton Boström of Eurosport Sweden details how the only thing up for debate in Erik Hamrén’s squad is Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s next employer.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The fact that the Swedish players have arrived in Stockholm to start preparations for the European Championships was overshadowed by the news that Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks likely to join José Mourinho in Manchester after the summer.
According to Swedish and Dutch papers he will sign a one-year contract with the option of another year with the intention of being an assistant manager to the Portuguese when he retires.
Zlatan and PSG decided to part ways when his contract expired and most people thought that he would go into semi retirement in MLS. Should the move to Manchester United be confirmed there would be a lot of Swedish headlines coming from the Premier League next season.
While the speculation raged, the squad assembled in Stockholm. Or at least parts of it did. Fourteen players took training with players from Scandinavian clubs missing due to the fact that they still have club games to play. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in town but did not train. He’s having slight problems with a calf and did rehab instead.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic set to join Manchester United in dual role, according to reports https://t.co/aEJgRHytNX
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 23, 2016
Zlatan Ibrahimovic also had time to take a meeting with the Under-21 coach Håkan Ericsson about being one of the over age players at the Olympics in Rio. Ibrahimovic is said to be interested but it also has to be agreed by the club he chooses as his next destination.
The squad was announced a couple of weeks ago and provided few shocks. You know that the squad is pretty set in stone when the biggest talking point is that Patrik Carlgren was selected as third choice goalkeeper instead of Swansea’s Kristoffer Nordfeldt.
A lot of Swedes wanted Oscar Wendt (below) in the squad after his impressive season with Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he was a big factor in the team securing a Champions League spot in Bundesliga. But he hasn’t seen eye to eye with the manager, Erik Hamrén, for several years and hasn’t featured in the qualifiers, so his omission was no surprise.
The same could be said of Jonas Olsson who has had a good season at West Bromwich Albion but hasn’t been in Hamrén’s plans for some time. And to no one’s surprise he was overlooked.
Zlatan aside, Victor Nilsson Lindelöf is perhaps the most interesting name in the squad. He has impressed hugely for Benfica and is said to have attracted interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Perhaps he’s glad that a move to Middlesbrough fell through in January. He is a commanding central defender who can also play as a right back. He is not a starting player at the moment but if he gets the chance he’ll be sure to take it.
At the start of the season Albin Ekdal was considered a key player in the team. But his first year at HSV has been blighted by injuries and it’s still unsure if he can make it to France due to a bizarre nightclub accident.
Barring any injuries this is Sweden’s likely starting XI against Ireland (4-4-2): Andreas Isaksson; Mikael Lustig, Andreas Granqvist, Erik Johansson, Martin Olsson; Sebastian Larsson, Oscar Lewicki, Kim Källström, Emil Forsberg; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Berg.
The men who will face Ireland on June 13th at #Euro2016 https://t.co/SxHbA0dN6F
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 11, 2016
The team have friendlies against Slovenia on May 30th and against Wales on June 5th before departing for France. They will provide a chance for players to stake their claim for a starting place but it’s hard to see a way in even if they impress.
Lewicki, Larsson and Berg are probably the only ones that have to make sure they are not completely hopeless against Slovenia and Wales. There is a small chance for the likes of Pontus Wernbloom, Albin Ekdal (if fit), Jimmy Durmaz and John Guidetti forcing their way into the line up.
Manager Erik Hamrén doesn’t have to worry about making unpopular decisions. His contract is up after the Euros and it’s already been announced that Janne Andersson, who guided IFK Norrköping to their first league title in 26 years last season, will succeed him after the tournament.
