Andersson: Sweden can kick any group in a world

• Sweden play Italy in a FIFA World Cupâ„¢ play-offs
• The Swedes saw off a Netherlands to validate for this stage
• Coach Janne Andersson speaks to FIFA.com about his team’s development

“We are winners usually by being here,” says Janne Andersson, and we can see a Sweden coach’s point. 

Qualifying for a play-offs by circumference out a Netherlands, bronze medallists in 2014 and finalists in 2010, was an considerable attainment in itself. Yet if Andersson’s difference advise a clarity of contentment, and of settling for carrying got this far, consider again.

Despite a pull for a play-offs carrying been as tough on Sweden as it was for a organisation stage, a Sweden manager insists that his side are good able of slaying another giant. The colossus this time is Italy: four-time universe champions and a organisation that has usually once unsuccessful to validate for a World Cup – coincidentally, a 1958 finals in Sweden.

“We had a toughest gift organisation opposite a Netherlands and France and we played some unequivocally good games,” pronounced Andersson. “If we can play during that level, we can kick any organisation in a universe – including Italy.

“The story of Italian football is good, they have good particular players and they have been to a World Cup many times before. They have good knowledge and a good team. But we will go for it.”

Andersson took assign of Sweden with a side’s spirit during a low ebb. The organisation had usually crashed out of UEFA EURO 2016 though winning a compare and, worse still, had mislaid their captain and talisman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to retirement. 

But any slow dejection was fast carried by a manager who done a indicate of billing his power as “a new territory for everyone”. As he told FIFA.com earlier this year: “I had to come in and say, ‘Forget what happened before, either it was good or bad. we don’t caring about any of that. This is now something new and it’s about you, a players we have. We start afresh.’”

That proceed has paid off, with several players — immature and aged — scaling uninformed heights in Andersson’s new-look line-up.

“What we did unequivocally good during a organisation qualifiers is that we grown all a time,” pronounced a Sweden coach. “We kept on removing improved and better. That’s because we managed to get second place in such a tough section.

“I consider we have a good group, a good team, and we work tough together. We are also tactically intelligent and we have to be that approach no matter who we play. We are clever together. We have built a new organisation during a final 15, 16 months and a players have grown good and work unequivocally tough as a unit.”

The Swedes also have a challenging record during a Friends Arena, a venue for a initial leg of their play-off opposite Italy on 10 November. Andersson’s side were dominant there during their organisation campaign, enjoying a famous win over France before all though sealing their play-off mark with an 8-0 dispersion of Luxembourg.

“At home, in Stockholm, we are unequivocally strong,” their manager acknowledged. “We take additional certainty from personification there.”

Sweden are still this tie’s underdogs, and it would be a vital startle if Italy were to skip out on their initial World Cup in 6 decades. Nonetheless, should Andersson’s side come adult short, it positively won’t be for a miss of endeavour.

“In football, we never know what will happen. we positively can’t guarantee that we will win,” he said. “But we are a good organisation and a good organisation who like any other on and off a pitch. And what we can guarantee is that we will work unequivocally tough together to grasp something.”

Here’s a full relapse of a European #WCQ play-offs!

Which 4 do we consider will make it through?
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— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) 17 Oct 2017

Article source: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2017/m=11/news=andersson-sweden-can-beat-any-team-in-the-world-2918574.html