Watching the matches in the FIFA world cup, I notice that the national line-ups apparently vary as to team spirit. You might wonder why this matters. Why is team spirit important? What brings it about? And what hinders it?

Sweden's team spirit
After eliminating very good teams, Holland and Italy in qualifying, Sweden played their part, in sending defending champions Germany home early, by topping Group F. They lack individual talented players, but as a team with a collective spirit they've got heart and stand up to the challenge. They do well through determination and organisation.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." (Helen Keller, deaf/blind political activist)

In keeping with his no-frills squad, the manager had not picked Sweden's all-time top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The player had angered many of his former fans with what were seen as characteristically self-obsessed comments.

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"As a team, we play as a collective, all the players together. With Zlatan, as a person, as a player, he's an individualist, and the play goes around him. Instead, now, we play more the team all together." (goalkeeper, Karl-Johan Johnsson).

Every single player has bought into the idea of working hard for each other and having fun together as a bigger group outside the pitch.

Leicester City's team spirit
Winning the English Premier league, Leicester City is another football team whose performance has exceeded what might have been expected from the sum of its parts.

Leicester had some good players, but looking at the whole squad and comparing it to the so-called "top" clubs, it's easy to see why they were such long shots to lift the title.

"You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - (Babe Ruth, baseball player)

Pundits spotted the players' sense of team identity as a crucial factor in their success. The squad knew the manager would be there the following season. He persisted with most of the first team players he inherited. This continuity built on the legacy of the club, another cornerstone of a strong team identity.