In the midst of all the will-he-won’t-he talk regarding Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it was easy to forget what this Sweden team achieved without their legendary striker.

In a qualifying group with France and the Netherlands, they finished an impressive second to get to the playoffs only to be drawn against yet another European powerhouse: Italy.

Sweden have a respectable football pedigree of their own but few outside of the Scandinavian country would have expected what happened next.

Italy were out-fought – a crime by the Azzurri’s standards – as Sweden won the first leg at home by a solitary goal and then produced a battling display to draw the return fixture in Milan.

That they did was down to the efforts of captain Andreas Granqvist, who put in man-of-the-match displays in both legs to take his side to the World Cup, but this was also a triumph of the collective, a squad shorn of stardust prevailing thanks to defensive organisation and sheer willpower.

It was indeed insulting that immediately in the aftermath of their triumphant draw, manager Janne Andersson was asked whether Ibrahimovic would come out of international retirement and join the team in Russia, given the performance his team had just put in.

The talismanic figure has been Sweden’s best player and biggest name over the last decade, and there’s a convincing argument that he’s their best-ever player.

But Sweden went through the entire qualification campaign without him and did just fine. The Zlatan distraction has been put to rest by the April announcement that the striker would not be making a comeback.

This will be Sweden’s 12th World Cup, with their best finish coming in 1958 when they hosted the tournament and ended as runners-up, losing to Brazil.

They haven’t been given an easy group in Russia, drawn alongside defending champions Germany and strong representatives in South Korea and Mexico. Germany are almost guaranteed to progress, but there’s not much to choose between the other three.

Some more of that fighting spirit will be required to finish in the top two. After what they did against Italy, however, who would want to count Sweden out?

KEY PLAYER

Emil Forsberg

Emil Forsberg is the new star player for Sweden in the post-Zlatan era.

Forsberg is the closest Sweden have to a true star player. The 26-year-old will be crucial to his side’s chances of going far at the World Cup, and this could also serve as an audition for a big-money summer move.

COACH

Janne Andersson

Janne Andersson has forged a resolute Sweden unit.

The no-nonsense Andersson deserves tremendous credit for getting Sweden into the World Cup. They weren’t fancied to qualify, but there’s a pride in the way this side plays which has been instilled by the former Norrkoping boss. Expect opponents to find that out soon or the best may yet be to come.

CAPTAIN

Andreas Granqvist

Granqvist leads by example, serving as an inspiration for his teammates.

Granqvist is a colossus at the back for Sweden and an inspirational figure in the play-off win. He’ll be in familiar territory this summer – the veteran plied his trade for Russian Premier League side Krasnodar last season but will return to Helsingborgs. As if he didn’t bring enough to his side already.

YOUNG STAR

Victor Lindelof

Lindelof has had a solid season at international level.

Lindelof’s first season at Manchester United has been unspectacular, but he’s not let his form at international level dip. Alongside the rest of the Swedish rearguard, he was immense against Italy, and similar displays will be required of the 23-year-old in Russia if they are to get out of the group.

KEY FACTS AND STATS

– Sweden have a near-even record against group favourites Germany: 13 wins, 15 losses, and eight draws.

– This will be their first international tournament without Ibrahimovic since Euro 2000.

– Sweden versus brazil is the most played World Cup fixture, with the countries having met each other seven times in the finals

FIFA Rating

77 DEF 76 MID 78 ATT

World Cups competed at

12 (First in 1934)

World Cup record

P46, W16, D13, L17

Best finish

Runners-up (1958)

Qualification record

P12, W7, D2, L3

World ranking

23

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: R. Olsen (Copenhagen), K-J. Johnsson (Guingamp), K. Nordfeldt (Swansea).

Defenders: M. Lustig (Celtic), V. Lindelof (Manchester United), A. Granqvist (Krasnador), M.Olsson (Swansea), L. Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), F. Helander, E. Krafth (Bologna), P. Jansson (Leeds
United).

Midfielders: S. Larsson (Hull), A. Ekdal (Hamburg), E. Forsberg (RB Leipzig), G.Svensson (Seattle Sounders), O. Hiljemark (Genoa), V. Claesson (Krasnador), M. Rohden (Crotone), J. Durmaz (Toulouse).

Forwards: M. Berg (Al Ain), J. Guidetti (Alaves), O. Toivonen (Toulouse), I. Thelin (WaaslandBeveren).

VERDICT

No doubt they will struggle to get out of their group, but if they do, they will be a tough prospect in the knockout stages.