Trouble brewing for Sweden as Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s proposed return irks team

Ibrahimovic retired from international football in 2016, but has hinted strongly at a return for the Swedish national team at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.

But accommodating Zlatan in the team could do more harm than good, according to goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson.

“It's up to the coach to see if he wants to bring him,” Johnsson said. “We managed to qualify and go through to the World Cup without him, and I think we can manage to play well at the World Cup without him. I'm sure if he does join, he will play well.

“It's a different style of play when you have a player like Zlatan, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in your team, because they're world-class players, and you have to use those players to win the game and play in a special way,” Johnsson continued. “

“I don't know if the coach wants such a big change, because he'll have to change the whole system of how he wants to play.”

Sweden qualified for the World Cup thanks to a play-off win over Italy following a group campaign that saw them concede just nine goals in 10 matches and finish as the highest scoring second-placed team with 26.

That success came on the back of a cohesive team strategy, which could be threatened by the return of Ibrahimovic. But the LA Galaxy striker last week confirmed he is fully intending on being at the tournament, saying:

It is egotism in the extreme for Zlatan to expect to just stroll back into the Sweden set-up after a two-year absence during which the national team have improved while his own form and fitness have dipped significantly. But it's not out of keeping with the man's personality to expect to be accommodated in that manner.

If Ibra was willing to play a support role, offering an impact-sub option, then he would be an extremely valuable addition and well worth a call-up. But chances are that a benched Zlatan would be an unhappy Zlatan, so he would have to be squeezed into the starting line-up. And that, particularly given his hardly dynamic range of movement at 36 years old, would prompt a complete change in style for a team who worked so hard on defending from the front and working as a unit during qualifying.

Manager Janne Andersson has some big decisions to make.