AP Photo/Matthias SchraderAfter falling 3-1 to Japan in Wednesday's semifinals, Sweden's players personified disappointment. FRANKFURT, Germany -- It's never easy picking up the pieces, and Team Sweden coach Thomas Dennerby is trying to figure out how to quickly rebuild his players' wounded psyches.
The Swedes went from being the only undefeated team left in the World Cup on Tuesday to being routed 3-1 by Japan in the semifinals Wednesday.
Dennerby is hoping his team will bounce back in Saturday's third-place game against France in Sinsheim, seeing it as a chance for redemption and positive closure.
"If you play your best, and you lose, you say, 'Yes, we lost to a better team and we can live with that,'" Dennerby said. "But the manner in which we played against Japan was far from that. We made one mistake, then two, then three. We do not play like that. I give credit to the Japanese for being stronger and putting us under pressure, but I believe we could have performed better than we did."
The Swedes beat themselves as much as the Japanese succeeded, leading to a lot of frustration. There were many costly turnovers in the midfield, something that must be avoided against France.
"They took everything from us, we could not do a thing," said Swedish forward Lotta Schelin, who is normally dangerous but was neutralized by Japan's defense. "We tried, but we never got into the game. It is very frustrating. It is a terrible way to end.
"We must do better against France."
Sweden will have to play without captain and star midfielder Caroline Seger, who is out with a left calf injury. She missed the Japan game, after determining during the warm-up that her injury was too severe.
Reserve midfielder Nilla Fischer said the team has rallied around Seger and wants to perform well in her stead.
"I think we are going to be ready Saturday, and we understand she cannot play," Fischer said. "We have no other choice. I think all of us have tried to comfort her. I gave her a hug; I think hugs help. It is what happens in the game. We must go on, and we want to play our best at the end."
Dennerby realized how shattered his team was after the loss and made a point of gathering the players together on the pitch. There would be no coordinated, somewhat goofy, celebratory dance, which the Swedes have become known for after their World Cup wins.
Dennerby staged an intervention, reminding the players that their pre-tournament goal was to reach the quarterfinals. They reached the semis, showing the potential of this roster for the future.
"This third-place playoff is very important for us," Dennerby said. "In fact, the reason why we got back together on the pitch after the game was I told them, 'We win together, we lose together.' I am sure they are very disappointed, but I told them we need to enjoy the next match.
" ... I am looking at this, and I have told the team this, that we are playing for a bronze medal, and we have an opportunity to say we are the third-best team in the world. Those are big accomplishments for us. We have the Olympics coming up too next year. Let us end strong."
