PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sweden faces a new World Cup shocker against Japan.
Then the secret game from behind the scenes is revealed.
– We have no opportunity to talk to them, admits assistant national team captain Magnus Wikman to SportExpressen.
On Friday morning, it is Sweden against Japan and there is a risk that there could be a new penalty decision. Just like Sweden progressed from the World Cup round of 16 when they managed to defeat the USA by a millimeter margin.
Sweden’s plan
According to reports, Japan has trained extra hard on penalties before the match against Sweden and will be well prepared for such a match-decider. While Blågult doesn’t focus so much on practicing penalties but instead mentally preparing for such a situation.
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Even if you have a clear plan, you also want to take into account the emotional situation in a penalty shootout and how each player is feeling. Therefore, it is not completely decided which five will take the penalties.
– Both yes and no. We had a (note) against the USA, or one with whom we should be able to beat, says the assistant national team captain Magnus Wikman to SportExpressen.
– Who do we have left and who do we think we should beat? Then we take them after that, then it may be that someone says something like this: “No, it’s not possible here and now”.
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Eriksson decides
Therefore, it has not been decided which five will hit or has a special order of turn for the penalties. Instead, it is a secret game that takes place on the inner pitch before a penalty decision.
– In general, I want the best first because it can give something more to the group. But we check with the players, is there anyone who likes to hit or prefers not to hit in a certain order. So we try to adapt it a little too, so we get the most out of their mental state, Wikman admits in the interview.
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But as it happened against the USA, the penalty shootout continued after the first five rounds and then the assistant national team captain reveals that it is the team captain Magdalena Eriksson who decides who will shoot. By asking their teammates who feels the most hungry.
– We are not allowed to be out with them, and have no opportunity to talk to them. She had been given some directives, so she should be able to solve it after a bit of balling out there at the center circle, says Wikman to the evening newspaper.
– She would shoot the sixth and then take it with the players from penalty seven to eleven if needed.
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