The Swedish handball ladies are on to the main round of the World Cup where they will face Romania, Kazakhstan and Norway.

For Tomas Axnér, who took over as national team captain after Henrik Signell in the summer of 2020, is the first world championship in the role of national team captain.

He started with an eleventh place in the European Championships 2020 and followed up with a historic fourth place in the Olympics.

But the Olympics in Tokyo not only gave a good result but also a receipt that Sweden has adopted Axnér's way of playing handball.

- We have worked very hard with the physical status.

I think we have raised it and I think we got good answers to it in the Olympics and it is something we want to continue working with, says Tomas Axnér to SVT Sport.

- I think that women's handball in general is on its way to faster games where it also places higher demands on physics.

The adjustment game has been developed

In the World Cup, Sweden has been strong in the adjustment game and is currently one of the teams that contract the most.

- There, I think we have taken great strides, says Axnér.

Midfielder and key player Linn Blohm agrees that the adjustment game has developed since Axnér took over.

- I think we have gained another momentum.

I think that many teams think it's hard to meet us right now, that we are just meat on and that we are good at punishing simply.

Even when the opponents score goals, we are good at pressing returns.

That's where I think we got it, our speed, says Blohm.

Roberts: "The leadership team fits the group well"

Jamina Roberts has played in the national team since 2010 and has only good things to say about the leadership team with Axnér and assistant national team captain Johanna Wiberg in the lead.

- It feels like this leadership team suits the group very well.

That said, it does not mean that the others have not done it, but it feels like we have found something we may not have had before, says Roberts.

- It is a very open dialogue about things and we have a lot to say about when it comes to both games and off the field.

Not that we should think and think about everything but there is a good balance in it.

They respect the views of the group and we respect their views and have well managed to get the views of the group and the leaders into one.