Ljungberg in fitness race to face England

The speed with which Anglo-Swedish fortunes are being reversed in the build-up to their World Cup meeting accelerated yesterday with the speed of a Shinkansen bullet train. No sooner had all 23 English players completed a full training session for the first time than the news filtered through from Sweden's camp at Miyazaki, a southern city on the "devil's washboard" coast, that Fredrik Ljungberg had pulled up lame.

Both Steve McClaren, an England coach, and Sol Campbell, when he later spoke to the press, tried but failed to suppress a smile. While not wishing misfortune on another player, they know the Arsenal midfielder could be a real threat to England in Saitama on Sunday.

"For us to lose Ljungberg is like England losing Beckham," Lars Lagerback, one of Sweden's co-coaches, said. Ljungberg has a groin problem which causes pain in his hip. He broke down a minute into yesterday's session but will have to wait before knowing how serious it is.

"I started to feel it two days before the match against Japan on Saturday," he said. "I also felt it during the game though it was not the reason I came off. I was only ever going to play 45 minutes. It has since got worse and worse. I didn't train Monday, just went on the exercise bike. Today I tried to run but I felt a sudden sharp pain."

Ljungberg, who said the injury might be linked to problems he had during the Premiership season, added: "On Sunday I thought it would go away. I hope it is not a big problem."

The sentiment is not shared in the England camp, even by friends. "He would be a big threat to us on Sunday," Campbell said. "It's funny because in this World Cup I could play against Freddie and against Kanu [of Nigeria] but at Arsenal we all sit together on the coach."

Stuart Baxter, the former AIK Solna coach who has been helping England with their preparation, also identified Ljungberg as Sweden's main threat. He said: "He is a massive part of their attacking play and someone we have to address. We have to make sure Freddie either doesn't get into the game or he gets the ball in areas where he won't affect us too much.

"The Swedes have been working to integrate into their team the way he plays for Arsenal. They have got players like Henrik Larsson and Anders Svensson who can create for Ljungberg. They will try to get Freddie in contact with their two front men, who will try to play combinations to get Freddie through."

Much, then, could depend on whether Ljungberg heals as quickly as David Beckham seems to. The return of such a key player, noted McClaren, can have a huge influence on the team. "There's been a growing intensity since David came back into training," said the Middlesbrough manager, who had Beckham under his command when a coach at Old Trafford. "David is the captain, the big player. He is an enormous influence on the team. The other players have reacted positively to him coming back. Everybody is buzzing again, as are the public and press.

McClaren, speaking in a press centre dotted with giant pictures of Beckham, added: "It's not all about one player. Everyone realises that. But he's a big-time player and there is no one more determined to prove himself on the big stage. To prove he is a world-class player. He knows this is where he has to produce. The upside of his injury is that he's had some rest. He looks fresh. He's like a kid with a new toy. It's a ball and he won't leave it alone. We have to hold him back."

It says much for Beckham's personality that there appears no resentment within the team of his extraordinary public profile. McClaren agreed that some star players are disliked but accepted for what they produce "once they cross that white line".

During training at Tsuna, Beckham successfully came through several tackles. He now seems certain to start on Sunday. The one remaining fitness doubt, Kieron Dyer, continues to "make great progress", McClaren said. A decision on whether to retain him in the squad is likely tomorrow. "He has given himself a very good chance," McClaren added. "If he shows the same improvement over the next four days as he has over the last four he could even play a part against Sweden."