England captain Leah Williamson will be acutely aware of Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius’ speed and the fact she likes to stretch the backline because they play together at Arsenal.
Blackstenius is so good at running in behind. The way she took the first goal in Sweden’s 4-1 win over Germany showed a real intelligence to keep onside. It was top-level forward play.
She has been accused of missing clear-cut chances, but she executed that perfectly. That will have given her a real boost.
Sweden had 48% possession against Germany, but they showed they could handle pressure because they had weapons on the counter-attack. Blackstenius is a focal point for the team and the one that probably allows Sweden to play more direct when they need to.
England centre-backs Williamson and Jess Carter need to have good awareness of where Blackstenius is. They need to get it right positionally.
They need to get tight to her in the box when the ball goes out wide because Blackstenius is really good in the air. Sweden recorded the most open-play crosses during the group stage (61) and they are dangerous in those situations.
Williamson showed her defensive strengths in the Champions League final. She came up against top-quality forwards and used her pace and reading of the game to intercept passes.
She is so composed on the ball that she can play her way out of pressure. That is so important for the way England build from the back.
Carter complements Williamson well because she can distribute off both feet and is very good at using her body to block runs.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has a role to play in helping England’s centre-backs by reducing the space Blackstenius has to run in behind.
There was a lot of noise around Hampton becoming number one, but her distribution has been excellent so the Sweden defence need to be wary of that. If they push up too high she can play long balls over the top.
Teams have analysed England and looked at ways they can exploit them, which has often been through those direct passes or outpacing the defence. But there is no way England will not acknowledge Sweden’s strengths. They will be prepared.
