’No Zlatan, no problem!’

Sare back at the World Cup finals after a 12-year absence. The team coached by Janne Andersson is aiming to advance from a group that features world champions Germany, Mexico, and South Korea. To do so, Sweden need to score. “337 minutes without a goal,” said Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter a few days after the Swedish squad arrived at their base in Gelendzhik on the Black Sea.

The headline summed up Sweden’s dilemma, especially after Andersson decided not to ask Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come out of international retirement.

The goal drought has been a recurrent theme when Andersson and players have met the media.

The coach has not publicly stated he is worried, saying the team has created “a lot of chances.”

“We h a v e n o t played a competitive match since November. During 12 qualification matches we left the pitch without scoring on two occasions – away to the Netherlands and in the second play-off match against Italy,” he recently told reporters after a training session in Russia.

Forward Marcus Berg tipped as a starter, has also been quizzed.

“I’m not dwelling on it,” said Berg, who plays for Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

During qualification he scored eight goals for Sweden, including four against Luxembourg in a rout last October.

“Recent matches have not been so good, but we are confident in what we can accomplish and we scored many goals in qualification,” Berg said.

Berg, 31, usually starts with Ola Toivonen, who has not seen much action with his French side Toulouse.

The heat is another factor that the Swedish players will have to contend with in today’s opening Group F game in Nizhny Novgorod against a South Korea side who will run and run.

Such conditions might not seem conducive to Sweden breaking their goal drought but they may look to the fullbacks for help.

While Sweden traditionally rely on a strong defence, right back Mikael Lustig of Celtic and Swansea’s Martin Olsson on the UNFAZED by the absence of their greatest player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish fans believe the team may be more cohesive without him and could start the World Cup with a bang.

Ibrahimovic scored 62 goals in 116 games for Sweden, matching that dominance with a largerthan-life personality and ego but he retired from international duty before the qualifiers, and, despite speculation he could reverse his decision, there was to be no comeback for Russia.

“We were second at the 1958 World Cup, third in 1994. Now we’re coming first – yes, even without Zlatan!” said ebullient fan Nicklas Haellman, 38, predicting a 5-0 win for the Sweden in their opener against South Korea on Monday.

“He was the best we ever had. We all love him. But now he is too busy making commercials to play for us.”

While not sharing quite such heady expectations, compatriots at a sun-baked fan zone in Nizhny Novgorod where today’s game will be played, agreed there was life after Zlatan for Sweden.

“Now it is more of a team effort,” said Magnus Hurtig, 35. “And of course it is Forsberg’s time now to shine,” he added of Emil Forsberg, the pacy winger who has inherited Ibrahimovic’s No. 10 shirt and is Sweden’s main attacking threat.

Proudly wearing the yellow Swedish shirt in anticipation of today’s game, Marcus Karlsson confessed he had some split loyalties.

He recently married a South Korean woman and was just back from holiday there.