After a formulaic first round of matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Group F table reflected the projections made by many before the tournament. Last week, Thailand were on the ill-fated end of a historic 13-0 loss to the United States. The Americans, along with the hosts France, are favoured to win the competition. Sweden meanwhile battled a heavily defensive Chilean side until a weather delay in the 72ndminute forced a temporary stoppage. When the match eventually continued play, Sweden scored twice late to secure an ultimately earned three points.
Sweden and Thailand meet in matchday two of the tournament. The Blågult will be looking to affirm a place in the Round of 16 early, particularly considering a meeting with the United States is next on the docket. Thailand must win or draw to have any hopes of advancing, but as this tactical preview will show, the Chaba Kaew may see more of the same against the Scandinavian side.
Lineups
Sweden manager Peter Gerhardsson configured his tactically flexible squad into a 4-2-3-1 against Chile. Nilla Fischer, who primarily plays as a centre-back but can also play deep in midfield, was positioned in her preferred spot. Caroline Seger and Kosovare Asllani controlled possession in midfield, and World Cup debutant Stina Blackstenius began at striker.
While the first three of these four players are often considered the core of Sweden, it would not be surprising to see any of them on the bench against Thailand, as the tactical game model would stay the same. This would allow him to rest a number of his key players ahead of a challenging third group stage match against the United States.
Gerhardsson could opt to play a more experimental starting lineup than this eleven, as Sweden are comfortable in a variety of formations and systems.Thailand manager Nuengrutai Srathongvian may not have much choice in adjustments of the personnel of his starting lineup. He could, however, decide to adjust his tactics to a more attack-resistant press, as the traditional low block system utilised against the United States had little effect.
The low block
One common tactical theme we’ve seen this World Cup is the strategic low or deep block setup against technically-superior opposition. A number of teams have deployed this system to a level of success, including Italy in their upset victory over Australia. This method was also evident in Sweden’s and Thailand’s first matches.
