Sweden on high with Elmander’s return to team
Stanislas Touchot
KIEV: Sweden coach Erik Hamren said on Sunday that he and his squad were taking their opening game against Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine seriously despite their openly relaxed approach in training. The 54-year-old – who has been in the post since 2009 – was in a light-hearted mood helped by the fact that Johan Elmander had been passed fit to play.
Hamren had taken a risk in selecting the 30-year-old in the squad when he broke a toe in his final league game of the season with Turkish champions Galatasaray. “He has had the green light from the doctors and that is excellent news,” said Hamren.
“All that remains is whether he plays or not. There is still one training session and for the moment we have no injured players. “It will also be up to the player himself. He will know if he is able to play and he will tell us. We have thought about it, we have spoken about it and we will talk more this evening.”




