The golden dough is more important than ever

The Swedish women's team goes through a partly involuntary generation change. Jenny Alm and Loui Sand have quit, Johanna Bundsen is pregnant and Johanna Westberg recently became a mother.

Mom also became the team's big star Isabelle Gulldén, who gave birth to son Lias in July. But "Bella" has always been clear that she wants to get back to the pitch quickly and train full time with the club team Brest. The comeback doesn't have to be far away.

That comeback, the Confederate Henrik Signell will look at repeat. Because if the importance of Gulldén has been great before, I would argue that it is even greater now. Other key players have disappeared or come to the World Cup with questionable injury history.

There is a red thread through - the times this national team has succeeded in major championships. At the 2010 European silver, at the bronze 2014 and during the 2017 World Cup, Bella Gulldén was one of the absolute best players of the tournament and really proved why she is often included in the talk about "the world's best player".

The World Cup in Japan is not only a World Cup in itself, it is also the ticket to be able to reach the Olympics (also in Japan) next year. The top seven in the World Cup provides a place for the spring Olympic qualification. Spontaneously this is probably where the goal should be for this national team. The feeling is that there were better vintages with fewer question marks entering the tournament and more realistic medal chances earlier.

But it depends to a great extent on what form the team's big star manages to find after almost a year off the handball field. A Gulldén in high form, a Roberts who has grown into the role of one of the leaders on the pitch, a Hagman and a Flower Beach playing at its peak and a classic Swedish strong defense game with Jacobsen, Lagerquist and Idéhn in the lead roles.

Yes, all the puzzle pieces are in place so it can be a fun World Cup this time for Bella and the others.