Sweden need new blood, strategy after Cup exit

FRANKFURT, June 25 (Reuters) Sweden head home from the World Cup in Germany amid media calls for a change to their cautious tactical approach, which some critics see as the reason for the team's early exit in the last three major tournaments.

Hosts Germany beat Sweden 2-0 in the second round in Munich yesterday -- a flattering result for the Scandinavians, who conceded both goals to Lukas Podolski within 12 minutes.

The way Miroslav Klose twice set up fellow striker Podolski exposed Sweden's defensive vulnerability.

Coach Lars Lagerback, famous at home for his in-depth studies of opponents, did not have defenders of the calibre required to stop forwards of Klose and Podolski's quality.

Centre backs Olof Mellberg and Teddy Lucic were a step or two behind at every turn.

Mats Olsson, sports columnist at the Swedish daily Expressen described the team as ''passive, stiff, late and drowsy''.

Sweden's attacking heroes -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Juventus, Henrik Larsson of Barcelona and Fredrik Ljungberg of Arsenal -- also failed to live up to expectations.

DEFENSIVE TACTICS This was blamed by commentators on Lagerback's defensive tactics, reflected on Saturday in the choice of the tenacious Mattias Jonson in midfield until the 52nd minute instead of the imaginative Christian Wilhelmsson.

With half a dozen World Cup squad players, including Larsson who missed a penalty against Germany, considering retiring from the national team, Sweden will need to bring in new blood before the Euro 2008 qualifiers starting in September.

Spain and Denmark are seen as Sweden's toughest opponents in Group F, which also includes Northern Ireland, Latvia and Liechtenstein.

The debate in the Swedish sports pages is whether Lagerback is the right man at the helm after eight years in the job.

However, his contract runs until after Euro 2008 and Lagerback said yesterday that he had always fulfilled his contracts.

Sweden have qualified for every major tournament since Euro 2000, where they failed to reach the second round. In the 2002 World Cup they won their group only to exit in the second round.

The same happened in Euro 2004, and again now in Germany.

Simon Bank, soccer columnist for the Aftonbladet newspaper, blasted Lagerback's tactics as cowardly, writing: ''I wonder if he can stay on.'' REUTERS PDS VC1700