World Cup 2018: Sweden doing just fine without Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s thoughts and Phil Neville’s ‘fake’ news for Granit Xhaka
A penny for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s thoughts. The former Sweden captain, who retired from international duty in 2016, reacted to their first two matches of the World Cup – a win and a loss – with characteristic humility, saying that he still felt he could play “much better” than his old team-mates.
Oddly, then, by Zlatan’s logic, Sweden have now gone further in the World Cup than in his 15 years with them and have reached the last eight for the first time since the 1994 edition in the United States.
Following the early departures of Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, it’s another blow to the model of national team built in deference to an overbearing star player.
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Consent seems widespread that this World Cup has been one of the most entertaining in memory, but when the highlights reels are compiled it’s fair to assume there won’t be much space afforded to Sweden’s 1-0 win over Switzerland today.
Not that the Swedes will care. Four of their six goals in Russia may have been either penalties or own goals, but for all their lack of attacking flair they are extremely hard to beat, as three clean sheets attest.
Perhaps their most entertaining match was against Germany in the group stage, yet that ended in a dramatic 2-1 defeat. More stodgy displays will be the order of the day if it keeps the bandwagon rolling.
Xhaka: On the receiving end of some home truths from Phil Neville (Source: Getty)
Former England footballer, sometime England Women manager and, currently, BBC pundit at the World Cup Phil Neville is not a fan of Granit Xhaka, it seems safe to say.
In an evisceration that recalled his brother Gary’s haranguing of a beaten Arsenal side in the Carabao Cup final, Phil took Gunners midfielder Xhaka to task for his display for Switzerland.
Having begun by highlighting Xhaka’s culpability for Sweden’s goal, he noted with some understatement: “He’s just not my type of player.”
Neville saved his hardest-hitting line for last, though. “He’s a holding midfielder? He’s fake.”