Sheffield Stadium. A quiet day trip towards the long-awaited premiere.
A team captain stares at the ceiling, a goalkeeper is cleaning and players are eating in droves.
Sportbladet has pinpointed the details that solve the mystery of a successful European Championship performance on Saturday night.
Join behind the scenes during the Swedish match day.
Reporters: Anna Ryden, Henrik Lundgren and Petra Thorin. Photos: Pontus Orr.
Dawn on the day of the premiere. 90 minutes after sunrise, Swedish employees wake up to life at DoubleTree by Hilton Sheffield Park. The area is scenic and the morning is quiet.
Team materials manager Jessica Carlson poses with a rooster. 25 bags will be brought into the arena, and you double check until everything is packed.
Hedvig Lindahl, Kosovar Aslani and Sofia Jacobson come to the dining room first. The breakfast buffet offers it all and is just the first of many meals of the day.
One by one, the players walk around the table. Joanna Ritting Canried, who debuted at the World Cup, eats protein porridge. Hannah Glass fell asleep when she sat down. It’s still only nine in the morning.
The last breakfast is Nathalie Björn and Filippa Angeldahl. They feel a certain pride in him, yes Philippa thinks it’s totally unbelievable to have teammates get up since 6 or 7 in the morning.
The leaders who belong to the medical team stay out of sight, let the players stay but still keep a close eye on how they feel. Daily monitoring reaches the team’s Ipads and the deviant reports information is sent in a separate WhatsApp group. Saliva samples reveal whether the player is dehydrated.
If there is even the slightest doubt, the leader looks for the current player. All minor factors, whether physical or mental, are taken into account. There are physical therapists, physical therapists, doctors and psychologists on staff.
When everyone else is eating, the last tactical detail needs to be honed.
During the morning, a meeting is held on static positions, where the team’s respected video analysts sift through and select the clips worthy of the show. Then the players are seated in team teams. Hannah Glass, Magdalena Ericsson, Jonah Anderson, Amanda Illestit and the rest of the defenders review together the Netherlands’ offensive players. Vivian Medema. The main threat to the Netherlands is further studied. “Magda” stopped her earlier in the league matches and shares her experience.
After the meeting, Hanna Glass walks. Joanna Retting-Canred, Fridolina Rulfo, Zisera Mosovich, Rebecca Blomqvist, Ellen Robinson, Hannah Benison and Sophia Jacobson do the same during the morning.
Then it’s time to eat. second.
Lunch is spacious. Here you will find pasta dishes, vegetarian options, and a fish dish with rice. After the meal, there is plenty of room for players’ needs. They differ.
Zecira Musovic cleanses. She organizes in her hotel room and is satisfied with the housework. Rebecka Blomqvist folds clothes and Amanda Nildén performs a quieter stretch. When Stina Blackstenius listens to music and relaxes, she is looking for a mate at some card game.
inside the captain Caroline Seagers Room happens – nothing. Sweden captain in bed. And staring at the ceiling.
She muster up her energy, and she is aware of how much she expects her on the field.
When anxiety strikes, the warrior takes out his cell phone and builds a house. Homeescape makes her run away for a while.
In a far room, the shower is boiling. Kosovar Aslani likes to stand under running water on match day.
Bus runs on time
Four hours left until the match time at 16:00. The meal bell rings again. Rice, chicken, pasta with sauce, vegetarian dishes and yoghurt were served to those with their favourites.
Mood and energy rise. Hannah Glass is now happy to change her R’n’B music to more uptempo, like house music.
As the departure approached to the match grounds, security director Stefan Degmer and team manager Magnus Anderson took the bus. Before leaving, Magnus checked the lineup several times. Nothing can go wrong with Uefa’s starting 11 documentation.
Magnus and Stefan are the first to receive the players on the bus. Nobody was late.
Departure time to the ring is carefully planned. The bus rolls right in to land at Bramall Lane 90 minutes before departure. The arrival of the team at the same moment is considered a status for the Swedish leaders.
When the players enter the locker room, everything is ready. Jessica made sure of it. They each get a place to sit, and nameplates show where. Players’ clothes and match shirts are hung.
Natalie Bjorn goes straight to her place. She “must” empty her bag before she goes out and touches the grass. Kosovar Aslani must first step on the field with his right foot. When Stina Blackstenius changes, she places a protection of the right leg before the left. In the locker room, music from the playlist pumps up.
Sweden’s performance coach Pontus Ekblom is now restless. He goes out to the field.
50 minutes before the end of the match, he’s standing there alone and dotting the crossbar, sometimes with a forgiving smile from the goalkeepers and although he thinks it looks a little silly.
45 minutes left when the team warms up – Joanna Ritting Cannerd does a squat, which is a must for the explosive outside striker. Then step into the dressing room for one last snack.
We showed how to get out of the asphalt
And they deserve their huge shoes
How to scream out loud when the world holds its breath
It has always burned in our blood.
When Molly Sandin’s tunes and the players’ song for the European Championship sound off the loudspeaker, they know it’s time to pick it up.
The leader with national team doctor Homan Ebrahimi in the lead takes a seat behind the bench, in the stands, Anders Ericsson is ready to send a sequence of the match to the bench.
Everyone was tagged and in the right mood.
Caroline Seeger, in a rainbow tie on her arm, takes her team in hand and leads them down the Golden Road. Players head out to Bramall Lane and are greeted by 2,700 Swedish fans singing in the stands.
Two minutes after 8 o’clock local time and the national anthem later, it’s time.
The European Championship premiere could begin. Hannah Glass will only make two quick jumps before the match begins.
