Sweden is keen to improve upon their agonizing shootout loss to Canada in the Tokyo Olympics soccer final in 2021 by winning the Women's World Cup, which begins next month, and giving captain Caroline Seger the proper send-off.
The 38-year-old Seger, whose name means victory and is the engine that drives Sweden's midfield, has had a dazzling career with her country that is only missing a gold medal, but she faces a battle against time to stay healthy.
"If everything goes well, she will step up her form during the tournament and then everyone will see how important a player like that is," Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson has said.
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Despite being a traditional superpower in women's soccer, Sweden has only ever won one major championship, the European Championship in 1984. Their highest World Cup finish, runners-up in 2003 after losing to Germany in the final, was in 2003.
The absence of championship medals does little to temper Swedish fans' expectations, who always rank their team among the favorites prior to every major competition.
"It's better than nobody caring," a smiling Gerhardsson told Reuters in an interview at the Swedish FA headquarters in Solna. "Expectations, demands and pressure are positive in that way."
He has overseen a generational shift in recent years, with influential players such as defender Nilla Fischer retiring and goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl making way for younger prospects.
Drawn in Group G against South Africa, Italy and Argentina, the 63-year-old coach will call on the attacking talents of Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfo and Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius to get the first goal, which he believes is critical in every game.
"Look at the Euros last year – I saw 27, 28 games, and the team that scored first won maybe 24 of them – if you can work out how to score the first goal in every game, you can coach any team you want," Gerhardsson said.
To increase their chances of doing so Gerhardsson will be hoping Seger is fit – despite her age and a slew of recent injuries, her outstanding range of passing remains intact and offers the best chance of opening up opposition defenses.
The coach declined to reveal the team's objectives for the World Cup, preferring instead to talk about the possibilities that await in Australia and New Zealand.
"When there is an opportunity to do things, I feel this way ahead of every championship – we can win it, and that's enough for me," Gerhardsson said.
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