England turn to youth as tension rises for Eriksson

Coach sings praises of his adopted country and puts faith in youngsters to break down Sweden while midfielder prepares for the big stage

A Swedish radio station placed a cardboard cut-out of Sven Goran Eriksson in the centre of Stockholm last week and invited Swedes to pelt objects at the "traitor". There were few takers. Despite Sweden being paired with England in Group F at the World Cup, Eriksson remains a hero in his native land, an export as successful as Ikea and Volvo.

Should Eriksson guide England to a victory over Sweden in Saitama tomorrow that sense of pride will only increase. Even an improbable declaration of Englishness, when he talked after training yesterday, is unlikely to change that.

His status in England, should the result go the other way, is another matter. There are already stirrings of discontent over the long-ball style he prefers. And despite England's inability to beat Sweden in nine meetings, stretching back 34 years, they are not regarded with the esteem of an Argentina or Italy.

This, perhaps, was the reason for Eriksson professing admiration for all things English – except the weather – and for saying he felt increasingly English. Encouraged he went on, in Golden Jubilee weekend, to pay tribute to England's martial history. "If you had not been so good at wars in the past who knows what Europe, the World, would have been like. You won two world wars. You suffered a lot. You took a big responsibility. Your football players today never give up. That is very English. You showed it in the past yourself." He added, introducing a timely moment of word-association levity, "you had those big battles... Waterloo... Abba."

Though he denied it Eriksson is evidently nervous. As he should be. He himself said: "If you are not hungry going into a World Cup you should pack your bags and go home. It is huge. Normally you can leave the hotel and go for a walk. Here it is impossible. Wherever you turn on a television, in England, Sweden, Italy, Japan, it will be on."

This is not quite true of Japan which continues to lack the innocent enthusiasm displayed in Korea. Nevertheless, there is a buzz about the place which was absent a week ago. The same can be said of England who, after a build-up which owed more to Casualty than Match of the Day, finally have everybody fit and able. The last to report for duty was Kieron Dyer who was confirmed as a squad member after three full days training. He has not required treatment for a week and could well play some part tomorrow if only from the bench.

The return of Beckham, Dyer and others has given England fresh momentum. With Sweden still fretting over the fitness of Fredrik Ljungberg it could make the difference in Saitama, a Tokyo suburb which, apart from the earthquake-resistant stadium, seems a lot like Croydon.

The downside of his disrupted preparation is that Eriksson is likely to field a staring XI which has never previously played together. Danny Mills and Ashley Cole are expected to get the nod at full-back, Owen Hargreaves should be preferred to Nicky Butt in the holding role, and Darius Vassell is in line to partner Michael Owen in attack with Emile Heskey on the left. The average age of the outfielders is less than 24. This is regarded as too low to win a tournament of this nature but may prove beneficial given the rising humidity.

The Swedes, like England, are stronger in central defence than full-back and also have a problem on a midfield flank – in their case the right. Alex Alexandersson, of Everton, is likely to play there though Magnus Svensson may edge him out. In attack Aston Villa supporters will be keen to take a look at Marcus Allback while Henrik Larsson may even be cheered by Rangers fans if he scores.

The other threat, if he plays, is Ljungberg even though it is two years since he scored for Sweden. Stuart Baxter, the former Stockholm coach who has assisted Eriksson with his preparations, said: "How well they get Ljungberg into the game will dictate how well they do. In the past he's been more effective for Arsenal than for Sweden.

"They will play the way they always do against us: Carefully. They will be worried about our pace and they will stay compact, support each other and try to get the ball to Freddie on the break." With Sweden swift to get men behind the ball England will also be seeking to attack on the counter using the pace of Michael Owen and Darius Vassell. This should lead to a free-flowing game if not necessarily one for the purists.

In their last three World Cups England's opening matches have ended in defeat by Portugal, a draw with Ireland and victory over Tunisia. They went on to reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals and second round respectively. Which suggests it does not all depend on the opening game. However, as Eriksson pointed out: "It's not life or death but it is extremely important because the second game is Argentina. You cannot start slowly, not in this group."

Baxter added: "We have not taken Sweden seriously in the past. Ten years ago the English view of Sweden was 'the postman is playing outside left' forgetting the postman trained 25 times a week and was probably the fittest man in Europe. We didn't give them due respect."

Eriksson will. If his players do the same England should win.

Where the match could be won and lost

Referee

Most footballers would rank referees and journalists high in their list of pet hates. So England will doubtless not be delighted to discover Carlos Simon, who takes charge at Saitama tomorrow morning, is a journalist and a referee.

The 36-year-old Brazilian may have taken leave from his day job but he could well be getting his notebook out tomorrow as referees traditionally start World Cups in an authoritative mood. For an England team which has had players sent off in their last two competitive meetings with Sweden that could be a problem.

Graham Poll thinks forwards are at greatest risk. England's refereeing representative said: "Fifa are emphasising fair play: diving, cheating, simulation. Don't do any of those things."

Set-pieces

With goalkeepers already queueing up to denounce the World Cup ball, free-kicks and corners provide a greater threat than ever. Ray Clemence, England's goalkeeping coach, said: "This ball is quicker, but not truer. It moves all over the place and moves so late reaction time is shortened. More than ever goalkeepers will punch and parry rather than catch."

All of which is another reason why England are delighted David Beckham is fit. "Free-kicks and corner will be very important," said the England coach, Sven Goran Eriksson.

Substitutions

With humidity levels high and most players coming off a long season substitutions could prove decisive. Teddy Sheringham has proved the impact he can make from the bench. If the match is going badly, Eriksson could also call on Joe Cole. "In the heat he would be a nightmare for opposing teams," said the England midfielder Kieron Dyer.