Sweden (National Football)

For Sweden there was nothing but pride to play for against France having been eliminated after successive defeats in their first two group games. France, on the other hand, had an opportunity to win Group D and avoid a quarterfinal matchup with the defending European and World Champions Spain.

The Swedes had put on entertaining, but inconsistent, displays against Ukraine and England. A tendency to concede goals after scoring their own ultimately crippled their efforts to advance to the latter rounds of Euro 2012.

The absence of Daniel Majstorović, the 35-year old Celtic defender, a bedrock on the back line with Olof Mellberg, was sorely felt. The lead over Ukraine in the critical opening game of the group lasted all of three minutes. Over England it was five minutes before Theo Walcott equalized, then setting up Danny Wellbeck's spectacular back heeled winner with 12 minutes to go.  

Against the French, Sweden's defense wasn't immune from a few gaffes that led, most notably, to an early Franck Ribery chance. However, as the game proceeded Sweden established a firm possession advantage and limited French forays to only a few dangerous shots from distance.

Kim Källström and Anders Svensson controlled the tempo in the midfield while Zlatan Ibrahimović played behind Ola Toivonen at the top of the Blågult 4-4-1-1 formation. Erik Hamren's men were fluid, confident and organized in a way that the national manager dreamed they could be when he went about rejuvenating the program after Sweden failed to qualify for the last World Cup.

The passing, combination play and overlapping runs were all there to the delight of a considerable Swedish contingent in Kiev. Emir Bajrami's inclusion in the starting XI and Christian Wilhelmsson as a second half sub were particularly lively revelations for Sweden.  

Justifiably, Sweden took the lead nine minutes after the halftime break with the prettiest goal of the tournament thus far. Mellberg's perfectly timed tackle sprung a Swedish counter at midfield. The ball was fed out to Sebastian Larsson on the right wing who's lofty cross found Ibrahimović at the top of the box.  

What Zlatan did next—a scissor-kicked, one-time volley rifled into the French net—should be included in the pantheon of the best European championship goals. It was an unspeakably skillful and creative move from a man tapping into the vast wealth of his talents.

Larsson capitalized on another Swedish attack late in the proceedings to finish off the disinterested French. Samuel Hollmen's volley came off the crossbar before Larsson hammered a right-footed shot into the roof of the net, capping a satisfying 2-0 victory and ending France's 23-match unbeaten run.  

With the opening fixtures of World Cup qualification just a few months away the positive signs are present that Sweden's new approach can bear attractive, winning football. The road to 2014 will not be a simple task. The Swedes were grouped with fellow Euro 2012 participants Germany and Ireland along with Austria, Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands.

For now a bittersweet summer vacation will be nagged by "what if" questions. What if the Swedes hadn't allowed Andriy Shevchenko to single-handedly turn around the first game? What if Majstorović was healthy, would they have looked so vulnerable at the back against the English? What if Hamrén had selected John Guidetti in the squad, would an extra attacking option have been the difference?

Those Swedish fans who camped on an island on the Dnieper river in Kiev will be home bound, as are the fans of the eight other eliminated sides. But the Swedes can at least claim the only final game win amongst the group and be proud of the stylish performance their national squad produced at these European championships. 

Oh, you Europeans and your wacky and crazy games. The latest from Sweden has caused quite the stir as one national team player drops his pants and the Prime Minister cries foul. 

The story of a goalkeeper who bared his booty for his teammates to take shots at with soccer balls comes from NBC Sports by way of Swedish news site The Local. 

The whole exchange took place at Tuesday's training session. That's where the boys began a game called, "the pig." 

The end of which puts the loser near a wall where he apparently drops his trousers and bends over. At that point, the rest of the players take shots trying to kick the ball into the newly formed target. 

There, I made it through that description without saying butt. D'oh. 

You can see the video at The Local here.

That is where you will see reserve goal keeper Johan Wiland bare his butt for his teammates to take potshots at with soccer balls. It is a good thing for him that their aim is horrible. 

That may explain their 2-1 loss to Ukraine to open the Euro Cup. 

We used to call this game "butts up." However, we only had balls thrown our way and never disrobed in any shape or form. The thought just never crossed our minds. Also, we were in third grade.  

Why grown men would want to do this for fun is harder to understand than the layout of your local IKEA. I am sure the crew from Jackass are already thinking of how to improve this grand 'ol game. 

Many have sounded off with their concern over the game, the most prominent being Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. 

People who carry expectations should be aware of that and act accordingly. It's important to reflect on how what one does in order to meet expectations.

The most important thing for the Swedish people is that we win against England. 

While this is absurd and unbecoming for a national team, I like how the Prime Minister shifted focus to Friday's match with the Three Lions. 

Hell, if Sweden wins they can have at their bare-butted game all they want. They will have earned it. Rock on, you crazy Europeans. 

Follow me on Twitter for the funkiest of times. 

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The Swedish national team is looking to capitalize on a colossal opportunity to make it out of the group stage at the 2012 European Championship.

They've drawn Group D, along with France, England and Ukraine. That's a fairly fortunate line-up and England will be without a suspended Wayne Rooney for the first two matches of the competition.

France is coming into the tournament playing great football, suffering defeats in just two of its last 20 matches, but thankfully for Sweden, two teams per group advance to the knockout stage. They are likely to win the group with the superior talent they possess and the momentum they have put together heading in.

Ukraine qualified automatically after being named the co-host of the tournament with Poland. They notched draws against the Netherlands and Germany in friendly matches leading up to the tournament, but the two teams surely weren't at their best in meaningless, non-competitive games.

Sweden, on the other hand, grabbed a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands that resulted in their automatic qualifying for the Euro Cup as the best runner-up. They ran through their competition, scoring 31 goals in just 10 games.

The X-factor for the Swedes will be none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The AC Milan striker scored 33 goals for his club this season and if he is able to equal that performance in the group stage, Sweden will surely be able to outclass the undermanned England squad to grab the second-place spot behind the French.

The only thing left to determine is, which Ibrahimovic will come out to play at the European Championships? Will it be the precision passing, perfect through ball playing, murderous finisher version of Ibrahimovic? Or will it be the pouty version who can't (or refuses) to get anything productive done on the pitch.

The Swedes have drawn the perfect schedule for the tournament. They start off with Ukraine, who will be led by Andriy Shevchenko and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. Those two would be much scarier opponents a few years ago than they are now. They're no bums, but they aren't the players they once were.

England is the second opponent they face, and they will be without Rooney. That's a huge boost for them, as the Three Lions don't have anybody else on their roster who can score like Rooney can. All Sweden has to do is draw England, and they'll have the inside track to the knockout round.

Many people are turning a blind eye to the fact that England just got a new manager after the departure of Fabio Capello. Roy Hodgson is a good boss, but that doesn't mean he's going to have immediate success with this squad at the Euro Cup. Sometimes it takes quite awhile to work out the kinks of a new coach, and that won't bode well for England.

England's loss is Sweden's gain, and the Blagult have an upset on their mind. Don't be surprised if the English suffer another failure in a major international tournament, this time at the hands of Sweden.

With Euro 2012 quickly approaching, it's not sides like England, Spain, and Italy that could be taking home the trophy this summer but rather the smaller, overlooked sides (Croatia, Sweden, etc) that could be impressing the critics this June.

It can't be denied, the favorites for the tournament are the same: Spain, Netherlands, Germany and the like. But what about sides like Sweden that have an attack of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rasmus Elm, and Elmander who can all turn deadly at any moment?

Another good example of a side that could prove themselves are Croatia. True, the announcement of the absence of Olic at the Euros is a big blow for the side, but Everton striker Nikica Jelavic and former Arsenal striker Eduardo could prove to be too much to handle for Group C, which has now seen an Italy team look very doubtful to pass on. 

Let's look more in-depth at one team in each group that could be the surprising side:

Group A: Czech Republic

Few know of the secret weapon the Czech's have in Galatasaray striker Milan Baros. The 30-year-old No. 9 is the side's top scorer, enjoying most recently four goals in four games. Tomas Necid is right behind Baros with two goals, and the CSKA Moscow performer is looking to prove himself this coming Euros.

More than the Czech strikers, it's the midfield that helps move the ball to goal, with Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky leading the way. Look for Rosicky to help the Czech Republic move on.

Most importantly though, the man who could undoubtedly boost the squad is Chelsea goalkeeper and Champions League winner Petr Cech. Granted, Cech did let in two goals in the Czech Republic's most recent game, a 2-1 loss in a friendly against Hungary. However, Cech is definitely one of the world's best keepers.

The Czech Republic may not have the toughest test in the world facing Greece, Poland, and Russia in their respective group, but look for them to be the side fighting for that second spot in Group A behind Russia.

Group B:

Group B is a difficult group to pick a "surprising" side out of, because this group of death has four squads that could show up and really make a run towards making it out. Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark are all quality sides that could push one or another out.

However, Denmark is the side that I see most likely to try and bully one of the bigger sides into sneaking past. A stronger side than initially seen, Denmark has experienced players, many in the Premier League, that could potentially gel together to make them difficult to beat.

In goal, Thomas Sorenson of Stoke City is top dog, allowing no goals in Denmark's most recent friendly against Australia. Although the side had previously suffered two defeats to Russia and Brazil, their opener against Holland could very well show their readiness to play.

In defense, Denmark has two very experienced defenders in Simon Kjaer, the AS Roma starter, and Liverpool rock Daniel Agger. The problem here though lies in Agger, who has repeatedly been known to succumb to injury.

In midfield, they are nothing special with Christian Eriksen being the only bright spot, but at forward Nicklas Bendtner will look to continue his run that has been quite impressive scoring five goals in eight matches.

Although Germany and the Netherlands are definitely the more likely ones to advance out of this group of death, Denmark has the next best shot.

Group C:

Another tricky group, it initially looked like Spain and Italy would have the pass out, but now that the potential worst scandal in Italian soccer history has been blown up, it seems there is only one real lock for that spot: Spain.

This leaves Croatia as the most likely team to take that second spot should Italy fail to impress yet again. No great goalkeeper and only one solid defender in Vedran Corluka is a weak spot for the Croatian side, but great midfield play by Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar linking up with forwards Nikica Jelavic and Eduardo could definitely see this side go on.

Croatia was one of the surprises of Euro 2008, and could very well repeat their heroic run of four years ago.

Group D:

There is no question that England and France look to move on from this group, but the multitude of English injuries coupled with France's troubled past opens the door for an odd-out side like Sweden to take charge.

True, England and France are the strongest sides in the tournament, but Sweden is a side not to be taken lightly. Their opener against Ukraine could set the pace for their tournament and if England lose to France and lose confidence, Sweden could continue a run against England and potentially take one of the advancing positions.

Premier League defenders Martin and Jonas Olssen will be the strong set in the back for the Swedes, but it's the midfield and attack of the team that will really open some eyes. Midfield names like Rasmus Elm, Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson, Anders Svensson, and Emir Bajrami could be very difficult to handle for any side that comes up against them.

Not just the midfield, but the attack of Ola Toivonen and Johan Elmander coupled with the extreme powerhouse Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be extremely dangerous for European defenses. If there's one team that could easily make it out of Group D, it'd be Sweden taking advantage of an English or French mistake. 

There are many teams that will look to prove themselves this coming week, but the squads mentioned above might just have the best chances. Don't get me wrong here—I'm not guaranteeing that one of these teams wins the Euros, but if there is a side that could surprise, look for their name here. Enjoy the European Championship and you'll hear more from me soon. 

Let's be honest here: When we think of the Swedish national team, most of us picture Zlatan Ibrahimovic and 10 others.

That's not as much of a hit on the Swedish national team's quality as it is a testament to Ibrahimovic's quality. Sweden's national team actually has a number of talented and capable players—Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson, etc.—but Ibrahimovic is clearly a cut above his teammates.

What makes Ibrahimovic so incredible, and why do we think he'll be a player to watch in Euro 2012? Read ahead to find out.

In Numbers

Ibrahimovic has scored 29 goals in 75 appearances for Sweden, which at first glance does not look very impressive.

The truth is that Ibrahimovic has never been able to guide his team to success, and being surrounded by players not good enough to compete with the best national teams has limited his goal-scoring.

In addition, Ibrahimovic has boycotted international duty and retired temporarily when the national team failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Club-wise, though, Ibrahimovic has been a much more dangerous striker, and this year was his best career year, even though it ended without silverware.

Ibrahimovic scored a career-high 35 goals and recorded a career-high 14 assists in 44 matches. If he shows his Milan form with Sweden, the Swedes may just be able to cause a couple of upsets against their more favored opponents in Group D.

What to Expect

Ibrahimovic scored five goals in Euro 2012 qualifying, but those five goals came in only two of the 10 qualifying matches of Sweden, indicating that Ibrahimovic still very much blows hot and cold for his national team.

It's hard to anticipate what Ibrahimovic will show up for the competition in Poland and Ukraine, but I expect he'll get off to a good start against a Ukraine defense weaker than most in the competition. 

Whether he can keep up the momentum in matches against England and France will determine how far Sweden go in the competition.

In Sweden's most recent friendly and international match vs. Croatia, Ibrahimovic was used as a centre-forward at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ibrahimovic scored and assisted a goal in a 3-1 win, indicating that this will likely be the formation Sweden uses at Euro 2012.

What They Say About Him

Ibrahimovic recently expressed his gratitude to coach Erik Hamren for making Sweden competitive again:

No question I was disillusioned on the back of missing out on the 2010 World Cup. I think we needed a fresh approach and Erik provided it.

Even more recently, rumors of a move to Manchester City in exchange for Carlos Tevez seemed to be gathering heavy steam before Roberto Mancini finally moved to quell the rumors in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport

Ibrahimovic is a great player, but I don't think Milan want to sell him.

Here are a couple of tweets from the Twitterverse that echo the thoughts of many on Ibrahimovic:

Interesting piece on BBC about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an enigma if there ever was one, still the kind of player ppl talk about

— Haris Akhtar (@HmAkhtar) May 24, 2012

"I don't need a Golden Ball to demonstrate that I am number one." Zlatan Ibrahimovic is awesome.

— Cheerow Sartory (@CiroSartore) May 24, 2012

Finally, here's a video of some of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's fine work for Milan this season.

The only question is...will the AC Milan Ibrahimovic show up for Sweden this summer?

Much like a number of teams heading to Poland and the Ukraine in a few weeks' time for the 2012 European championships, Sweden will be without its full compliment of players.  Erik Hamrén named his 23-man roster on Monday and will have to make due without veteran defender Daniel Majstorović and promising striker John Guidetti.  Also of concern was Johan Elmander but he is expected to fully heal from a right foot fracture suffered in his club's final league game this past weekend.

With just over three weeks before Sweden opens their Euro 2012 campaign against host Ukraine in Kiev's Olympic Stadium, what will the starting 11 look like? And how will Sweden fare in Group D, which also includes England and France?

During Sweden's qualifying run, Hamrén experimented with a couple of different formations and a multitude of lineups to a great degree of success.

The Swedes, in fact, qualified automatically to the tournament by virtue of being the best runner-up in the qualifying phase, winning eight of their ten matches. In the process they scored 31 goals, only their qualifying group winner, Holland, and Germany had more.

Hamrén deployed a 4-5-1 and a 4-3-3, catering his attack around the prodigious offensive capabilities of Zlatan Ibrahimović. Ibra was usually partnered with Elmander up front while Kim Källström, Anders Svensson and Rasmus Elm were the tempo-setters in Sweden's midfield.

The likely dilemma for squad selection comes at the back-line positions.  With Majstorović and his 48 caps out due to knee injury there's a noticeable lack of international experience at the defensive positions outside of 34-year-old Olof Mellberg.

Defensive Doubts

Andreas Isaksson's steady presence gives the Swedes a lot of confidence in goal. He's got 91 caps for the Blågult including Euro '04, Euro '08 and the 2006 World Cup.

The rest of the defense doesn't inspire similar levels of security.  Majstorović's 25-year-old Celtic teammate Mikael Lustig, the starting right back, hadn't played in a competitive international fixture until the Euro 2012 qualifying phase, when he started all ten of Sweden's matches.  

On the other side of the defense, Hamrén will likely choose Blackburn's Martin Olsson over Anderlecht's Behrang Safari, both young players debuting and (hopefully for Hamrén) up to the demands of tournament football.

Partnering Mellberg in the central defense is an open competition between Jonas Olsson, Andreas Granqvist and Mikael Antonssen.

Olsson is a particularly intriguing selection.  He's another inexperienced player, with only six appearances with the senior side, but he was a key member and vice-captain at West Bromwich Albion.  West Brom was the former managerial post of one Roy Hodgson, who now leads England, Sweden's group opponents at Euro 2012.

Olsson will see minutes at some point in the tournament or at least be a valued resource for the coaching staff as they prepare for that crucial second group game against the Three Lions.

Midfield Potency

Sweden's midfield is an area replete with international pedigree and a source of overall team strength. Kim Källström, Anders Svensson and Christian Wilhelmsson have all represented the country in World Cup and European Cup final competitions.

And Sebastian Larsson, Sunderland's free kick maestro (he scored seven such goals in 2011-12), is a rising talent on the right wing with plenty of Premier League experience. He's primed for a breakout at a major international tournament. Rasmus Elm can also find time in the midfield, the 24-year-old served notice of his potential with a 10-goal season at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Forward Progress

Up front, Hamrén will partner Ibra with Elmander.  Ola Toivonen could join them should Hamrén allow Zlatan, as he's hinted he might, to roam into the deeper playmaking role behind the two strikers, something he's accustomed to doing with AC Milan.

That might be the case in Sweden's first outing when they should go for goals and a convincing win against Ukraine.  No one doubts that Sweden's fortunes are squarely balanced on the world-class abilities of their star front man and captain.  

Ibrahimović is coming off the best season of his career, leading the Serie A with 28 goals, adding five goals and five assists in Champions League play.  However, in the group games against England and France, Hamrén might revert to more defensive-minded formations leaving Elmander, with Ibra just behind him, isolated at the top.

While that may prevent thrashings like the 4-1 loss the Dutch handed them in qualifying, it may also stifle Zlatan's creative endeavors.   The team worryingly struggled to find opportunities in two friendly shutout losses to the aforementioned English and another Euro-bound team, the Danes, last November.

Sweden's starting 11 might not match the talent level at each position when they face the football powerhouses of England and France but they can spring surprises and exploit favorable matchups, particularly with Ibrahimović.

On set pieces this team is especially dangerous; Larsson and Källström can provide a few highlight-worthy goals from dead-ball situations.

Some clues as to the potential of this roster and which 11 will line up as starters in Kiev will come with Sweden's scheduled warm-up matches against Iceland on May 30th and Serbia on June 5th.     

Erik Hamrén has selected his 23-man roster for Sweden's trip to Poland and the Ukraine for this summer's European championships.

Here's the depth chart (presumed starters are in bold):

Goalkeeper: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (FC Copenhagen), Pär Hanson (Helsingborg)

Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Olof Mellberg (Olympiakos), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Martin Olsson (Blackburn), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich Albion), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht), Mikael Antonsson (Bologna)

Midfielders: Rasmus Elm (AZ Alkmaar), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Kim Källström (Lyon), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Samuel Hollman (Istanbul BB), Emir Bajrami (Twente), Christian Wilhelmsson (al-Hilal)

Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimović (AC Milan), Johan Elmander (Galatarasay), Tobias Hysén (IFK Gothenburg), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven), Marcus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)

Elmander's inclusion is a surprise given that the forward fractured a bone in his foot in his club team's 0-0 title-clinching draw over the weekend. Hamrén believes what the team doctors have told him, which is that the Elmander will be ready in time for Sweden's first match on June 11th against the co-hosts Ukraine.

There are some notable absences due to injury, however. Promising 20-year-old striker John Guidetti, on loan from Manchester City to Feyenoord and scorer of 20 goals in the Eredivisie, was replaced by Marcus Rosenberg due to illness. Mikael Lustig's Celtic teammate, Daniel Majstorović, will miss out due to the ruptured knee ligaments he suffered while training with Sweden back in February.