瑞典队在3月1日的一场热身赛中0：3不敌爱尔兰队，一种危机感迅速在瑞典球员中蔓延开来。他们普遍认为，要想在3个月后瑞典同英格兰队在德国科隆的小组赛中胜出，瑞典球员还有很多地方需要改进，球员之间的配合以及体能都还需要进一步加强。 　

    据英国《卫报》3日报道，谈及小组赛的对手英格兰队，刚刚在热身赛中败北的瑞典队主教练拉尔斯·拉格贝克对英格兰队主教练、同胞埃里克森大加赞扬，称也许只有当埃里克森最终离开的时候，人们才能真正认识到他的价值。

    拉格贝克表示：“他所受到的批评都是不公正的，回顾他上任以来的带队成绩，还会有哪一位英国本土教练能取得他那样的成绩？在世界杯预选赛中，埃里克森带领的英格兰队仅仅输了一场比赛。不错，英格兰队在1966年拿了世界杯冠军，1990年还进入了半决赛。但除此之外，我不知道还有谁的带队记录能超过埃里克森。他在英格兰队干得非常出色。或许在两年以后，当人们回首往事的时候，英格兰人才会发现让埃里克森世界杯结束后走人是多么大的一个错误。仅仅因为他不是本地人，英格兰人就对他吹毛求疵，这绝对是一个错误。”

    谈到英格兰队前锋鲁尼，拉格贝克也是不吝赞赏之辞：“他身体强壮，球感好。他这么年轻但又如此了得，绝对是一个非常聪明的球员。”

    A glum-looking Sweden team departed Lansdowne Road not only advising David Beckham and co to avoid reading too much into their heavy defeat by the Republic of Ireland but with a suggestion from the coach Lars Lagerback that England may come to regret dispensing with Sven-Goran Eriksson after the World Cup. 　

    Lagerback's glowing assessment of Eriksson's work with England could not be applied to Sweden's performance and there was an acknowledgment from his players that they will have to improve markedly and cope better with a physical style against England in Cologne in three months' time. The finals will be Eriksson's farewell with England and Lagerback feels the job his compatriot has done may only be appreciated in his absence.

    "All the criticism he has had is unfair," Lagerback said. "If you look over the period of time he has been the manager, I doubt another England manager has had the same run of results. He has only lost one qualification game. You won in 1966 and got to the semi-finals in 1990 but that apart I don't know who has had a better record than Sven. He has done a marvellous job with England. Maybe it will only be in two years' time that you will look back and think you made a mistake by letting him go. Just because he is not a typical English manager on the touchline punching the air you may not think he is doing anything but that is wrong. That's just his character."

    There was no punching the air from Sweden after a 3-0 defeat by a vibrant Ireland but suggestions that England will now be confident of beating them were met knowingly. "They always are, aren't they?" Anders Svensson said pointedly, aware that England last overcame Sweden in 1968. "They're an excellent side. It's going to be a tough game as well. If you look at this game, Ireland won all the battles all over the pitch and if you lose all the battles you are going to lose the game."

    The former Southampton midfielder admitted there is "still a lot of work to do to get the team ready for the World Cup" but paid tribute to Ireland and put a positive spin on the result. "We played well in qualifying and won most of our games," he said. "Usually we are a hard team to beat and now we have lost 3-0 and that's a tough lesson and maybe something we needed to make sure we work as hard as we have to if we want to do well at the World Cup."

    Sweden looked surprisingly vulnerable at the back, not least to pace, and their right-back Alexander Ostlund struggled. They also seemed heavily reliant on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, to a lesser extent, his fellow striker Henrik Larsson for inspiration. Ibrahimovic's absence was felt after he departed injured and Lagerback's team, beaten twice by Croatia in qualifying, looked worse than ordinary.

    "It's a friendly and you should not exaggerate things," said Erik Edman, the former Tottenham left-back. "It's one game and we played badly. We have to go on now and try to focus on the next game and try to improve our way of playing and the way we handle the British way of playing. I am confident we can do that."

    Olof Mellberg noted that Sweden had not prepared properly because their trip to Ireland was dominated by World Cup planning, such as organising schedules, photo shoots and signings.

    They will clearly be preparing a game plan to counter Wayne Rooney, though, in June. "He's very difficult to pick up," said Lagerback. "He is physically very strong and with a good touch and for someone so young he is a very intelligent player."