It's Always Been You

Chapter 34

July 2022 - Sheffield, England

"Okay everyone, our tactics for today's game." Our head coach, Peter, said the morning of our first group stage match, which was against the Netherlands. We had arrived in Sheffield for our game that evening, and we were discussing tactics and our opponents. "Our main goal honestly, is to stop Vivianne Miedema from getting the ball. She has proven time and time again her quality, and we need to prevent time on the ball for her at all costs. She can turn anything into a goal scoring opportunity. Ilestedt, your job is to man mark her as best as possible in terms of getting close to goal, but Val, your job is to cut off the passing lanes and stop her from even touching it in the first place. I want to put you in a more attacking position, but knowing that Netherlands biggest threat is their attacking force, with Martens and Miedema especially, we need as many defensive, yet versatile, bodies as possible. It shouldn't be too difficult getting through their defence, they're notoriously weak at the back, and I'm not sure how effective their new coach is at an international level. Through balls and persistently run at them, pressure them so we can force misplaced passes and stop them from playing out from the back."

The game against the Netherlands was the most important one of our group stage, as they were our most difficult opponents. We wanted to come first in our group in order to make the following rounds easier for us, and as they were last year's champions, we knew that it wouldn't be an easy win.

The past few weeks had been busy, after we finished the season as Division 1 Champions and UWCL winners as well, I rejoined with the Sweden squad to prepare for the Euros. We had arrived in Sheffield a couple of days ago, after a training camp in Birmingham.

Caroline retired before the Euros, meaning that Peter had to name a new captain - choosing me. It was such an honour to be competing in a major competition while leading my country, and even though I had worn the armband before, as I was one of the secondary captains, being the main one felt incredible.

"Ok everyone," I said in our team huddle in the hallway of Bramall Lane, the stadium we would be playing in. We were waiting to be introduced, and then the anthems would play and the match would start. "We know that we can do this. We are the stronger team and we have to play the odds. We can't lose this. I have faith in all of you, and you need to have faith in yourself or else we're not getting anywhere. So, let's smash them. För Sverige alltid! (For Sweden always!)"

Walking out leading the starting eleven filled me with anxiety, but I had been managing my stress much better after the break, which I knew was a needed pause from the game. Not feeling obligated to get up and practice, spending a few extra hours in bed and not waking up the morning of a match stressed out of my mind, was really good for me. I hadn't spoke to Daan since though, as I was still quite upset with her.

We started the match well, with each side creating their fair share of chances. Viv missed a free net during her first touch, which definitely shook both teams. We went into half time 0-0, with each side having less than five shots on goal, and barely any on target. They were being as defensive as possible along with trying to prevent us from having any possession. I was annoyed going into the break, knowing that we could've found the net by then. Peter and I spoke to the team, discussing a few changes we wanted to make in our tactics, before we went back on the pitch to practice our passing. I looked around for my family, knowing that Mom, Andreas and Julie, along with her new boyfriend, would be in the stands. They had booked all of our group matches, and were prepared to book all of the knockout rounds instantly, having chosen to follow me around England the whole summer. I felt so appreciated, knowing that I had people watching me who would support me through anything, and it fuelled my passion to play well.