Euro 2012: 5 Things England Needs to Do to Beat Sweden

England will look to put themselves in a strong position in Group D of Euro 2012 with their second game against Sweden, where three points will put them within touching distance of the knock-out stages.

It won't be an easy game against the Swedes, who themselves require a win to avoid possible elimination.

After the first round of games, England picked up a hard-earned point against France with a 1-1 draw, while Sweden let a 1-0 lead slip to lose 2-1 against Ukraine.

A win for England would mean Sweden couldn't catch them in the final round of games, leaving the fixture against Ukraine on the last match-day an all-or-nothing clash for both sides, regardless of the joint-host's result against France.

Here are five things the Three Lions can do to give themselves a better chance of victory.

Retain Possession Better in Midfield to Allow the Central Players to Support

England is unlikely to ever dominate a game at the international level in the current set-up, but they will need to retain the ball better at times to both relieve the pressure on the defence and also to build up more promising attacks.

Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, both playing discipline-holding roles in midfield for England, can be real assets in the build-up with their adventurous, quick passing—but only if they are given time to join up the attack by the rest of the team.

Continue Delivering Quality from Set Pieces

England has great height and aerial dominance on their team; John Terry is capable of being a goal threat from set pieces and Joleon Lescott has already shown he is.

Glen Johnson is also uncommonly good in the air, and if either Andy Carroll or Danny Welbeck play up front they will also both be good targets.

Gerrard ensured there was quality delivery from set pieces against France; a repeat of that against Sweden will see England get chances on goal as neither centre-back Andreas Granqvist or goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson have looked particularly comfortable with aerial attacks for Sweden.

Start Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Again

The youngest outfield player in England's Euro 2012 squad Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was handed a surprise start against France but repaid Roy Hodgson's faith in him with an assured performance, which was in equal parts disciplined and exciting.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has the ability and pace to produce the unexpected in the final third and open up defences with a piece of skill on the ball.

In what will likely be a tight game with both sides focusing primarily on not conceding cheap shots on goal, a bit of wizardry could be the deciding factor.

With Rooney absent, Oxlade-Chamberlain remains one of England's few players who can offer that little bit of unpredictability.

Give Ashley Young the Hook Early on If He Isn't Producing

Given the second-striker role against France in the Group C opening game, Ashley Young did not impress.

He played one useful through-ball to James Milner, which should have resulted in a goal, but beyond that he was largely ineffective.

Young is playing in a very important role in this England team and needs to up his game significantly to provide chances for his teammates and be a threat on goal himself.

If against Sweden he fails to spark, it is imperative that Hodgson makes the call to switch things around for England, either substituting Young or at the very least switching him wide in place of James Milner or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whichever is having least effect.

England needs to beat Sweden, Hodgson can't afford to mess around with under-performers in key roles.

Be Clinical in Front of Goal

It sounds obvious, it sounds stupid, but it really is the most difficult and most important part of the game in big tournaments, and indeed in most matches.

England will create chances during the match against Sweden unless they are bad beyond belief, but the most important element of their attacking game will be to take those chances, to put the ball in the net.

Presumably Danny Welbeck will get the nod to start up front again and so the largest burden of responsibility will fall on him. But the same will go for anybody who gets a decent chance in front of the goal.

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