Sweden are not unstoppable. Ask anyone – including the team themselves.
As one of the favourites for Women's Euro 2022 this summer in England, the Scandinavian nation have a ballsy move when it comes to showing everyone just how good they are: by showing their rivals how to their beat them.
Just take a closer look at their kit and you'll see a detailed guide of where to hit the Swedes where it hurts. There's even a website, howtostopsweden.com with analysis on how the team can be beaten.
“Sweden is one of the fastest playing teams in the world and also one of the very best at counter-attacking,” the guide begins on the site.
“Do everything you can to reclaim the ball once you lose it. Sweden will turn 52 per cent of counter-attacks into shots. Few teams in international football are as efficient as Sweden when it comes to defending their own goal, rarely averaging over one goal conceded per game in international tournaments.”
It's a bold marketing ploy – with Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius confidently boasting, “in the analysis, we expose exactly how we win, how we play and how the opposing teams – perhaps – have a chance to stop us.”
”Sweden is a country famous for its transparency and openness, and that’s very much manifested by this jersey and the guide,” Marketing and Sales Director at the Swedish Football Association, Helena Taube Rehnmark, claims. ”But the jersey is as much about just celebrating our national team - coming in as one of the favorites this summer, we’re looking to make it a long summer and come back with the gold.”
Clever and confident? Or a backfire waiting to happen?
Buy the Sweden women's home shirt here
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