There Is Only One Sinnacle

Sweden always seems to be the type of team that neither disappoints nor exceeds expectations. You can count on them to make it past the group stages only to lose come the knockout stage as was the case in the World Cup losing to Germany and Euro 2004 losing a heart breaker in penalty kicks to Holland.

Video of Sweden 2-0 win against Spain in Euro 2008 Qualifying.

Questions will be asked right off the bat in goal as Andreas Isaksson sat on the bench for Manchester City this past season. Isaksson will use Euro 2008 as a spring board to another European team.

This team is greater than the sum of its parts but they have key players in key areas which always bodes well in this competition. The back line is anchored by former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg. The midfield features the creative influence of Lyon’s Kim Källström and the front line will have one of the World top strikers in Zlatan Ibrahimović. In events such as Euro 2008 close games are often decided by a moment of brilliance and in Zlatan Ibrahimović Sweden have a player that can be a game breaker.

Experience also counts for something in major tournaments. Players such as Niclas Alexandersson, Tobias Linderoth, Anders Svensson, Fredrik Ljungberg and the legendary Henrik Larsson all know what is about to lie ahead. That experience will benefit young players like Andreas Granqvist and Sebastian Larsson who are both looking to crack this squad.

Key Player – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

I don’t believe there is another player in Euro 2008 who will be counted on more for their teams success then Ibrahimovic will be for Sweden. It’s very much black and white. If Ibrahminovic isn’t able to find the back of the net Sweden will go done in three games. If Ibrahmimovic can repeat the form shown in the first half of the season for Inter Milan, Sweden can go far.

Group D Outlook

Sweden has always played according to form and I’ll buck that trend to continue. They may have a hard time containing Spain but Ibrahimovic will be the best player out there against both Greece and Russia which may prove the difference in those games.

Sinnacle Prediction 2nd in Group D

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 5:25 am and is filed under Euro 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.