Ibra Needs a Tournament Defining Performance for Sweden's Sake

It was an iconic image of Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he blazed a guilt-edged chance over the bar against Italy last week. The assistant referee may have spared his blushes, with the powerhouse frontman flagged offside, but the photo of Ibrahimovic, hands around and head on Gianluigi Buffon’s post in disbelief, has been the striker and Sweden’s tournament in a microcosm. 

While Erik Hamren's side are hardly a dominant force of European football, they still have one of Europe’s top strikers leading the way, as both focal point and captain. Only Luis Suarez (40) scored more goals than Ibrahimovic (38) in Europe’s top five leagues last season as PSG romped their way to Ligue 1 glory. Coming into Euro 2016, he was the man tasked with shouldering the burden and given his mental fortitude, it’s a responsibility Ibrahimovic was expected to crave. 

Yet rather than propel the 34-year-old into the limelight once more, Ibrahimovic appears to be weighed down by the expectations of a nation. While no out and out striker has shone at Euro 2016 to date, his performances so far have preceded his reputation. Of those to start every game for their nation so far, only a handful have gained a lower WhoScored rating than Ibrahimovic (6.30) at this summer’s European Championship. 

Coming into their must-win meeting with Belgium, Sweden are the only team yet to register a shot on target at Euro 2016. Ibrahimovic may have had a huge part to play in Ciaran Clark’s own goal in their 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland, but other than that; he has done little in the final third to help Sweden to the next round of Euro 2016. 

The Swedish national team has mustered just 11 shots in total in France so far, six of which have been courtesy of Ibrahimovic, so his attempts to put his first goal on the board are not for want of trying. However, it isn’t just his quest for goals that have let the out-of-contract frontman down at the tournament. Ibrahimovic’s hold up play is widely considered one of his strongest assets, yet his inability to frequently bring teammates into play has ultimately stunted Sweden’s attack. 

His pass success rate for PSG last season was a commendable 78.9%, but that figure has dropped to 63.4%, despite the average number of passes dropping from 44.2 to 35.5. Of course, much of that is down to the differing styles of play adopted by PSG and Sweden. The former dwarf all those in their league, allowing Ibrahimovic more time and space to find a teammate, while the latter are considered underdogs more often than not on the international stage and struggle to get players up in advance of their star striker. 

Not only that, but having played as the lead striker in a 4-3-3 formation for most, if not all, of his club career, it’s tough to then expect Ibrahimovic to instantly transfer his quality to the international stage in a differing set up to one he is familiar with. In both group games, Sweden have lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, forcing Ibrahimovic to play alongside one of Marcus Berg or John Guidetti and the duo have failed to have the desired effect in the opposition half to help ease the burden on Ibrahimovic. 

With the dip in quality of those in support evident, Ibrahimovic has struggled to not only bring others into play, but create for teammates as well. Their captain is yet to play a key pass at Euro 2016, despite a commendable return of 1.6 key passes per 90 in Ligue 1 last season. While this again points to a dip in quality of those around him, Ibrahimovic’s struggles this summer are well documented. 

It’s certainly a far cry from his performances in qualifying, where only Robert Lewandowski (13) scored more goals than Ibrahimovic (11) throughout the campaign. Sweden evidently look to the striker for inspiration, yet the general consensus so far if that Ibrahimovic has - to an extent - failed the national team this summer, just as they have failed him. That isn’t to say, though, that the frontman has lost the backing of his teammates. 

“I’m sure he’s going to come up with something good on Wednesday,” Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson insisted this week. Sweden remain confident that Ibrahimovic can finally make his mark on the tournament when the odds are stacked against them, as they are when they face Belgium this week. After a stuttering start to the competition, the Red Devils are aware progression is within their hands, though that’s not to say they can rest on their laurels. 

Marc Wilmots will ensure his players don’t take the threat of Ibrahimovic lightly. "They have got a great player up front, Zlatan - he can score from a deflection, from a free-kick, from anything and I respect Zlatan very much." On his day, Ibrahimovic remains one of Europe’s finest forwards and the stage is perfectly set for him to rescue Sweden from an early exit from Euro 2016. He, though, needs a tournament defining performance this week if progression to the knockout round of the European Championship is to be attained and Ibrahimovic is to sign off his international career with a bang.

Will Zlatan Ibrahimovic's international career come to a close on Wednesday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below