Why a Fit and Firing Zlatan Ibrahimovic Can Fire PSG to Champions League Glory

It's safe to say 2014 wasn't the best year for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It wasn't a disaster—he lifted the Coupe de la Ligue and Ligue 1 trophies—but it could have been better.

Going into 2015, the Swedish striker will be looking to get back to his best, with one goal in mind: the Champions League. If Ibrahimovic can get back fit and firing, he is the only man who can inspire Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory this season.

The key word in that last sentence is "if," and it's a huge if—probably the most important time the word has been used when discussing Ibrahimovic's career.

In the summer, we missed out on the Swedish striker joining the carnival in Brazil. His presence and ability are probably the only things that could have improved the tournament. However, his summer break should have positioned him to make a full assault on the French league and inspire PSG to a phenomenal season.

It hasn't quite gone according to plan, though. Injury in the first home game of the season against Bastia saw him substituted after the first 15 minutes. He returned 15 days later against Saint-Etienne, scoring a hat-trick on his return.

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At that point, the Swede had scored five goals in just 177 minutes, and it looked like he could go on to surpass the 30-goal season Jean-Pierre Papin had enjoyed in 1990. Ibrahimovic matched it in his first year with PSG, and only injury stopped him from topping the Frenchman last campaign.

After the Saint-Etienne game, Zlatan went four league games without a goal, with a troublesome heel injury in the middle keeping the forward out for seven league games.

Although he hasn't quite shown it this season, Ibrahimovic can still be classed as one of the best players in the world on his day. The only problem is that day is becoming more of a one-off than a normality.

In the Champions League last season, there were times when he was unstoppable. The group game in Brussels against Anderlecht, in which he scored four, was incredible. He still has that ability, but he needs to find fitness and form. The key people who will help him find that level again are Laurent Blanc and Zlatan himself.

It is unlikely the Swede can continue to play three games in eight or nine days. Playing every weekend with Champions League games in between isn't going to get the best out of the talisman, and it is up to Ibra himself to realise this if he wants to rediscover his top gear.

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Going into next summer, if PSG want to move up to the next level, it would be best for them to look to move Ibrahimovic on. He will turn 34 years old at the start of next season, and his injury problems and recovery time are not going to improve over the next eight months.

However, while they still have talent in the lineup, Blanc and the rest of the team need to do their best to squeeze every last bit of Ibracadabra magic out of those boots before he moves on.

PSG and Ibrahimovic have the supporting cast to help the Swede realise his Champions League dream. With Edinson Cavani beside him and the growing and developing ability of Lucas Moura, that trio can trouble any defence in Europe.

Behind Ibrahimovic, David Luiz and Thiago Silva may have their problems, but with Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi in the midfield and Salvatore Sirigu in net, the spine is strong.

Their last-16 matchup against Chelsea will be incredibly difficult, and it is safe to say PSG are long outsiders to beat Jose Mourinho's side over two legs, but on their day, and if their London opponents aren't at their best, anything is possible. Once you get through to the quarter-finals, it is as much the luck of the draw as ability of the teams involved.

Over the past two seasons, Ibrahimovic's Champions League campaign has ended at the last-eight stage, but if he can stay fit and assemble his cast beside him, he won't get a better chance of going all the way.

Against Barcelona, PSG lost on goal difference. It was a superb effort and a wonderful achievement, but the team wasn't ready. Their two performances against Messi and Co. in the group stage this season showed how far they have come.

Remy de la Mauviniere/Associated Press

Last season against Chelsea, the Parisians could call on Ibrahimovic for only 69 minutes before he had to come off injured. He would miss the second leg at Stamford Bridge, and without Zlatan in vintage form, they were eliminated on away goals once again.

For the club to have any chance this season, they need to have their Swedish superstar at 100 percent and on form. Who knows how the game might go if Ibrahimovic is in a destructive mood? Any clean sheet at the Parc des Princes would give them more hope and set the stage for PSG's No. 10.

It is quite obvious from his performances this season that Ibrahimovic is no longer the force he once was, but in the right setting, in the right mood and with fitness on his side, there is no doubt he can still influence any game in any competition.

If Blanc and PSG can find a way to get Ibrahimovic fit and motivated in the new year, he could be the deciding factor in firing PSG to Champions League glory in 2015.