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maltatoday WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2017 Sport 21 FOOTBALL Tottenham must win trophy to show progress, says Arsenal's Cech International return for Zlatan gets Sweden talking THE final whistle which sig- nalled that Sweden had quali- fied for the World Cup was still echoing around the San Siro when the speculation be- gan - will retired record goal- scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic return for the finals in Russia? Sweden had just secured a 1-0 aggregate victory over It- aly with a squad short on big names, a team that snatched second place in European qualifying Group A from the Dutch and beaten France at home before knocking out Italy, all without Zlatan. "This is incredible. The player has just stopped to play one-and-a-half years ago and we are still here talking about him," Sweden boss Andersson told reporters when asked if Ibrahimovic was set to return. The 36-year-old departed the national team after a dis- appointing group stage exit at Euro 2016, ending an inter- national career that saw him score 62 goals, many of them spectacular, in 116 matches for his country. Shortly after the game Zla- tan posted a picture on social media with the caption "We are Zweden". By yesterday, his post had over a million likes on Instagram, but Andersson didn't seem entirely positive about a possible return. "Zlatan is, as I expressed it, our greatest player of all time, a fantastic athlete in every way, but he has chosen not to take part," he told a news con- ference in Milan yesterday. "These guys did take part and have performed fantasti- cally. It's sad to sit and talk about someone who hasn't been here. I have a gang that has done fantastic, we can talk about them instead." The Manchester United striker, who is currently re- covering from a serious knee injury, has always been some- thing of a divisive figure in his native country, adored for his skills but often perceived as arrogant and selfish. After his departure and that of former manager Erik Ham- ren, the Swedes went back to their traditional style of being a tightly-knit collective where no individual is more impor- tant than the team - a return for Zlatan now could upset that delicate balance. Andersson's players were not in the mood to discuss a pos- sible return either. "First and foremost he must open up the possibility him- self. Otherwise I don't think one should have this discus- sion," defender Ludwig Au- gustinsson said after the Italy game. Ibrahimovic's agent Mino Raiola was a lot more positive towards a comeback for his client. "If it's up to me, I'll deliver him myself," he told Sweden's SportExpressen. Zlatan Ibrahimovic ARSENAL goalkeeper Petr Cech said finishing above rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League is not their priority, adding Mau- ricio Pochettino's side must win a trophy to prove how far they have come under the Ar- gentine. Tottenham finished ahead of Arsenal for the first time in 22 years when they finished sec- ond in the league last season. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's side missed out on Champions League football with a fifth-placed finish but ended the season by lifting their third FA Cup in four years. "There is always one odd year where things can change, but the most important thing for us is competing against the other teams for the Pre- mier League title and for the glory," Cech told Sky Sports. "We are not competing against Tottenham Hotspur. Two years ago when we fin- ished above them we were dis- appointed because we didn't win the title. Our target is to win the title and be successful during the season, not neces- sarily looking at what Totten- ham are doing." Pochettino's Spurs have challenged for the league ti- tle over the last two seasons, while their recent victories over Real Madrid and Borus- sia Dortmund have placed them among the top clubs in the Champions League. But having failed to win a major trophy since the League Cup in 2008, Cech believes winning silverware is neces- sary for Spurs to mark their recent progress. "There was always some- thing missing but I would say the difference was when Po- chettino came," the 35-year- old from Czech Republic added. "They've been there in the last few years so now I think they have to make sure they win something to show the progression." Arsenal which are currently sixth in the league standings, will host third-placed Totten- ham at the Emirates Stadium in the league game on Satur- day. Petr Cech