Zlatan: Is that really all there is?

IF it so often seems that a ridiculous amount of coverage is given to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the expense of everything else, that is not just because of the striker’s individual willingness to bolster his reputation and demand attention. It’s because he really is all there is to this side. This is Roy Keane and Ireland in 2002 multiplied by ten.

Consider the complexion of the rest of the squad. The highest levels any of the other players are at are: Sunderland, Norwich City, Benfica, Torino, Celta Vigo, Olympiakos and some of them are unlikely to play, dropped for Kim Kallstrom of Grasshoppers and Andreas Granqvist of Krasnadar. Even if Ibrahimovic would demand much better sides play around him, it makes complete sense with Sweden. With 19 goals and six assists since their last qualification in Euro 2012, he has been involved in 74 per cent of their goals. The solution becomes rather simple in theory, then, if not in practice: cut off the supply to Ibrahimovic.

So, what is there to watch. Kim Kallstrom — he of the injury on signing for Arsenal in 2014, and now at Grasshoppers — will look to release raking passes from midfield and pick out the physicality of either Markus Berg or John Guidetti up front. Robbie Brady will also have to watch the trickery of Olympiakos’ Jimmy Durmaz on the wing. Shane Long, meanwhile, could find himself in a few aerial battles with Granqvist. Sweden have specifically targeted victory over Ireland to get through, and that this is their big match. If O’Neill’s side cut off their big player, there is plenty of the rest of the team to aim at. Ireland have a superior squad, if no single player close to Ibrahimovic.