apamig
AP DEMO - Sweden coach and players look ahead to Euro 2016 Group E campaign - Euro 2016 Sweden - AP DEMO
SCRIPTING INFORMATION:
Erik Hamren's Sweden qualified for Euro 2016 by way of the play-offs, after finishing third in Group G behind Austria and Russia.
A 4-3 aggregate win over neighbours Denmark bought their ticket to France, with their talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring three of their goals and taking his qualification tally to 10.
Sweden will need the former Paris Saint-Germain striker to be at the top of his game if they are going to get out of one of the toughest groups at Euro 2016, with Belgium, Italy and the Republic of Ireland making up the quartet in Group E.
However, injury rumours seem to follow Ibrahimovic wherever he goes and since the 34-year-old left PSG, where he is likely to play his club football next has sparked even greater speculation.
Currently, the feeling is that he will become one of Jose Mourinho's new signings when he takes over at Manchester United.
As the Sweden squad assembled for their first pre-Euro training session in Stockholm on Monday, Hamren brushed away the notion that Ibrahimovic was a source of distraction within the camp.
"You always want the players to be 100 per cent in training and so on, but he's not the only one who has problems, so you cannot say that he is the problem," Hamren said. "There are always problems when you start pre-camp."
"No, I wouldn't say any issues," Celta Vigo and Sweden striker John Guidetti added. "Of course there are niggles here and there. The team's looking good, everyone's been doing really well and (we're) just looking forward to the tournament really."
Sweden have not made it out of the group phase at the last two European Championships, but did make the last eight in 2004 in Portugal.
They go into France 2016 as one of the outsiders, but with the top two from each group, plus the best four runners-up, going into the knockout phase, goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, said he was confident that Sweden would not be going home early.
"Oh, it's going to be a tough competition," he said. "I mean,we're playing three great teams in the group, but we're looking forward to it, it's going to be really great for us."
RESTRICTIONS: SNTV clients only. Use by 11th July 2016. If interested in archive use after 11th July 2016 please contact www.aparchive.com. Internet use only for SNTV clients with digital rights licensed in their contract. For any questions regarding rights restrictions please contact planning@sntv.com.
1. 00:00 Mid shot Zlatan Ibrhimovic with squad mates at Sweden training session.
2. 00:16 SOUNDBITE (English) Erik Hamren, Sweden head coach:
"You always want the players to be 100 per cent in training and so on, but he's not the only one who has problems, so you cannot say that he is the problem. There are always problems when you start pre-camp."
3. 00:46 Further of Ibrahimovic with Sweden squad mates.
4. 01:03 Set-up shot of Celta Vigo and Sweden striker John Guidetti.
5. 01:12 SOUNDBITE (English) John Guidetti, Celta Vigo and Sweden striker:
"No, I wouldn't say any issues, of course there are niggles here and there. The team's looking good, everyone's been doing really well and (we're) just looking forward to the tournament really."
6. 01:27 Further of Ibrahimovic with Sweden squad mates.
7. 01:41 SOUNDBITE (English) Andreas Isaksson, Kasimpasa and Sweden goalkeeper:
"Oh, it's going to be a tough competition, I mean we're playing three great teams in the group, but we're looking forward to it, it's going to be really great for us."
8. 01:55 Further of Ibrahimovic with Sweden squad mates.
9. 02:16 SOUNDBITE (English) Andreas Isaksson, Kasimpasa and Sweden goalkeeper:
"No, we're good so far. We just got together today, so hopefully everybody will be fit for when it starts and I have a good feeling, so I hope it turns out good."
10. 02:31 Mid shot Ibrahimovic with member of the Sweden coaching staff
SOURCE: SNTV.
DURATION: 02:54.
