AC Milan superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a leading role, with three assists, in Sweden's two wins in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia (1 -0), Thursday March 25, and in Kosovo (0-3), Sunday March 28, in group B. Passed in particular by Monaco and Strasbourg, Pontus Farnerud, 40 years old, former Swedish international midfielder, today sporting director of IFK Göteborg, admires the simplicity displayed by the former PSG player for his return to the national team.
In these two matches Sweden-Georgia and Kosovo-Sweden, what did Zlatan bring to the Swedish team?
PONTUS FARNERUD
.
Above all, I believe that he came back with a different mentality from the one before.
Knowing that the team has done very well without him for a few years, I think he really wants to be part of this group and participate in the Euro.
And sportingly?
On the pitch, he showed the qualities that we all know him.
He was decisive, without scoring, but with three assists.
Above all, he had an impact on the group.
It is quite obvious that he wants to show more solidarity than before with his teammates, in his offensive and defensive efforts.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's superb assist for Sweden's opener!
Kosovo - Sweden, to follow on the site @lequipe: https://t.co/ckMRHTGuKS#lequipeFOOT pic.twitter.com/KzxJUXg1If
- THE TEAM (@the team) March 28, 2021
Did he also show some limits?
His game is like that right now.
He stays in the center and does not make too much effort in movements lower on the ground, nor on the sides.
He has players moving around him.
He is distributing more than before.
With him, the Swedish team can make variations between combined short play and direct long play towards Zlatan, so that danger is created around him ...
What did you think of his attitude, of the way he found his place in the group?
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He showed humility.
He cannot come and decide that everything revolves around him.
In the press conferences and interviews he did, he put the team forward.
He likes to talk about other players than himself.
During training, before and after match, he is more involved with everyone, and behaves more like a player like the others.
In Sweden, how is his return felt?
Most of the supporters and journalists are happy.
With the results he has in Milan, everyone was looking forward to his return.
After these two matches, I think everyone sees what it can bring to the Swedish team for the Euro.
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How Zlatan Ibrahimovic maneuvered to return to the Swedish selection
Is there a risk of slipping in complicated situations?
Of course, there have been difficult situations in the past… Like in 2003, it seems to me, when Zlatan took a penalty instead of Kim Källström who was supposed to shoot them.
I was on the bench and there was a big discussion afterwards.
There were other tense moments, Zlatan was often difficult.
He has the character we know him and after his years in Paris, he asked a lot of his teammates.
But today I'm not too worried, because I'm sure the manager has been very clear with him in the conversations he had with Zlatan when he came to Italy in recent days.
They looked each other in the eyes and said some things to each other.
I don't think there will be any problems.
Zlatan knows he must respect the coach and the group.
For his part, the coach knows that it could be complicated if a framework had not been fixed between them.
Neither one nor the other wants to break this contract, to betray his word.
