After winning a third consecutive Ligue 1 title, it feels like the first phase of the current project at Paris Saint-Germain could be coming to an end over the next 12 months, starting with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract ending in July 2016.
With that in mind, it could be quite difficult to predict just how many goals the giant Swede will score this season for the Parisians. At 33 years old, with his birthday to follow in October, he is not getting any younger—and it was apparent last season that cracks were starting to appear in both his performances and his demeanour.
At some point, when he does decide to hand up his boots, that will all be forgotten and the touches of brilliance, the amazing goals and the Zlatan-esque moments, that only he can conjure, will be all that is remembered.
However, one thing that may be brought into the conversation, when looking at where the talismanic forwards sits amongst the pantheon of greats, is the fact that he failed to lift the Champions League trophy for any of the huge clubs he played for during a glittering career.
This season, as PSG go hunting for Europe’s biggest prize, Zlatan’s minutes in the league could be reduced as they try to keep him as fresh and as available as possible. That could mean he only features in 25 league games, maybe 30 overall—making it hard for him to reach 15 goals next season.
Realising that this is Ibrahimovic, it is only fair to raise that to 18 goals for the upcoming campaign. For all intents and purposes, this could be the last chance he has to lift that trophy, with the striker admitting, per Joe Lago of Yahoo Sports, he wouldn’t rule out a move to Major League Soccer at some point.
Injuries and suspensions hampered his campaign last season, and both Laurent Blanc and Ibrahimovic will be hoping that he is available to play for the entire campaign. It then becomes a battle between his exquisite footballing brain—and how his body can carry him through this last 12 months.
This time last year, in the opening game away at Stade de Reims, the former Barcelona man produced a sparkling performance to see PSG steal a point at the Stade Auguste Delaune.
It only took the forward seven minutes to open his account, slipping Javier Pastore’s pass under Johnny Placide to give PSG a 1-0 lead, but by half time they were 2-1 down to the side from the Champagne region.
Queue Monsieur Ibrahimovic. It took another pass from Pastore, but this time the Swede’s shot from a neat angle needed help from the Reims ‘keeper to find the back of the net.
Two goals from their talisman helping PSG to an opening-day point, somewhat akin to how he made his debut for the club three seasons ago.
Hosting the visiting FC Lorient at the Parc des Princes, Ibrahimovic, on his debut, found himself 2-0 down via two goals from Jeremie Aliadiere in front of a shocked Parc des Princes crowd. The expectations were huge, and the Swedish striker took it upon himself to pull his team by the scruff to regain parity.
It was into injury time when Ibrahimovic was able to step up and fire a penalty kick past Fabien Audard. It not only gave PSG their first point, but it was a symbol of just how much they would come to rely on the superior skills that the former Milan star possessed.
He would start the season scoring 10 in 10 and would extend his run to 17 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games. It looked like he was on course to demolish Jean-Pierre Papin’s record of 30 league goals in a season.
The striker was able to stay clear of injuries that season, but 13 goals in the last 20 games ruined his chances of topping Papin, and his goal against Lorient on the final day of the season would see him finish on 30 goals, falling one short of the French striker’s tally.
Setting that initial high standard meant that scoring only five goals in 10 games the following season felt like a slow start for the forward. With the additions of Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani, plus others, into the PSG squad, the expectations were higher, and they were expected to make an impact into the Champions League.
Playing beside the likes of Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi, Ibra would tend to play a deeper role. He would drop back into that No. 10 position and help more with the link up the play. His touch, vision and outstanding ability helped him rack up 11 assists that season, via the official Ligue 1 website, but he wouldn’t find his scoring touch until inspired by a Champions League group game against Anderlecht in October of 2013.
Ibrahimovic scored a stunning hat-trick, including a wonder-strike from 30 yards that nearly burst the net. In the following weeks, Ibra would score another 12 goals before the winter break. With nine games to go, Zlatan needed six to surpass Papin’s record.
A small goal drought and an injury would stop him from reaching his goal, finishing the season with 26. In any other league, for any other club, it would be deemed more than satisfactory, but not against the high standards that the player himself sets.
It may have just been two seasons ago, but it is hard to believe that Ibrahimovic could return to that level this season, but there were glimpses last year that he still had the Midas touch. In Week 3, he scored a hat-trick as PSG put Saint-Etienne in a 5-0 drubbing, but that was one of the few early-season highlights.
This came on the back of an injury against Bastia and although he had scored five goals in just 187 minutes, there were questions over whether this could be sustained. Two games without a goal and Zlatan would suffer a heel injury—one that would keep him out of the best part of six games.
Even when he returned, it either looked like he was back too early, or something just wasn’t right. There may have been a mental aspect to it, but it was clear that the injury was taking its toll on his recovery time.
The ongoing heel problem, plus discipline problems—shouting at referees after the game against Bordeaux—meant he missed a whole host of games, only playing 24 games this season.
When it is broken down, it’s not the best return of goals: eight of his 19 goals came from the penalty spot. Due to the amount of games he played, 19 is still a very good return for a striker of his age and level.
To repeat that feat this season would be a major success. If Blanc does reduce his minutes and focuses more on the Champions League, it could still reach 30 goals. However, it would be spread out over the various competitions.
This season, the PSG coach will also have to find a place for Javier Pastore, Benjamin Stambouli, Lucas Moura and potential new boy Angel Di Maria. There will be rotation under Blanc this campaign, and it will be interesting to see how the coach blends in the new players.
Matching last season’s league total would be a huge success for the Swede, and with priorities elsewhere, it may take a small miracle to see Ibrahimovic finally topple Papin’s reign. Eighteen goals would represent a wonderful season, and finishing the campaign at 34 years old would be one of his best achievements to date.