Alexandersson assesses Swede dreams

When hosts Sweden kick off their UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign against Belarus on 16 June, there will be few more interested observers than Niclas Alexandersson.

Important experience
Capped more than 100 times by Sweden's senior team, Alexandersson, who retired last year, gained precious early experience of the international stage as part of the side that reached the U21 final in 1992 – the country's best performance at this level. Hence he knows all about the good that exposure to "the bigger stage" can do for a young player's development. He told uefa.com: "For players that play in the Swedish league, it will be very different and they will gain from that experience."

Home hopes
Alexandersson, the host city ambassador for Halmstad, hopes Sweden will benefit from home advantage but said the fact they qualified automatically makes it hard to gauge their prospects. "I think that maybe they don't know exactly where they stand at the moment, but they have picked up their game and had some good results in friendlies against some of the better teams. It will be tough for them, and for all the teams, to progress to the next stage – but I think there is a realistic chance.

Rivals
"There are two sides to being the host team" added the former IFK Göteborg, Everton FC and Sheffield Wednesday FC wide man. "Obviously we have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd, and hopefully that will help, but on the other hand we've not had the tough qualification games that give young players experience." Of Sweden's rivals for the prize, Alexandersson said: "I've heard that Germany have a very good squad and you can't forget England and Spain of course – they have players you see in the very top leagues every week. There will be outsiders as well, like Serbia and Italy."

Second-best
In Alexandersson's day, the U21 tournament was played over two legs right up to the final, and it was Italy who ended Sweden's chances with silverware in sight. "We lost 2-0 away and won 1-0 at home. Second place was very good for a Swedish side and it qualified us for the '92 Olympics in Barcelona." Today the championship finals exist on a bigger stage and Alexandersson believes Halmstad will prove a friendly, attractive venue.

Coastal warning
The 37-year-old, who began his career at Halmstads BK, said: "In the summer a lot of tourists come here to enjoy the nice beach out in Tylosand. There are nice golf courses also. It will be a big thing for the city to get all the fans from the different teams." Yet he does have a warning for players considering a trip to the seaside. "When we were playing for Halmstad, the manager always used to talk about the 'Tylosand syndrome'. We often had our worst games when it was beautiful weather and all the players had gone to the beach."