Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 4-Game Ban Puts Pressure on Goal-Shy Edinson Cavani at PSG

On Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic was handed a four-game ban following his foulmouthed tirade against the officials after the club's 3-2 defeat to Bordeaux back in March, according to Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson:

The French league committee (LFP) met in Paris to decide the Swedish striker’s fate. Although the man himself didn’t appear—he was represented by club sporting director Olivier Letang and lawyer Francois Klein—that would have had little impact on the decision.

According to the LFP's rules, the ban does not come into effect until Tuesday, April 14, meaning Ibrahimovic will still be able to line up for Sunday’s Coupe de la Ligue final in the Stade de France against SC Bastia.

Ibrahimovic will therefore miss games against OGC Nice, Lille OSC, FC Metz and FC Nantes, returning for the last three games of the league campaign and the Coupe de France final against AJ Auxerre.

One very interesting aspect of this season is just how much of an impact the loss of Ibrahimovic might have. Despite enduring a fairly mixed season, he has still scored 24 goals in four competitions—including a hat-trick on Wednesday against Saint-Etienne—without really imposing himself in a large majority of his matches.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

On Wednesday, he scored his 100th goal for PSG and then added two more, but you would expect that after he was merely a spectator in the 3-2 win over Marseille on Sunday. Facing a ban, you would expect the talismanic forward to put everything he had into those two games, not just the home cup tie.

Without Ibrahimovic for the upcoming league games, the pressure then falls onto the shoulders of Edinson Cavani to end his goal drought and push PSG toward a third consecutive domestic title.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The Uruguayan has now gone over 600 league minutes without a goal, which is not good enough for the man who cost the club €60 million in the summer of 2013. For the Ligue 1 champions, the biggest concern is that if Cavani's barren spell continues in Ibrahimovic’s absence, it could cost them the title.

PSG would expect to win every game during Ibrahimovic’s ban, but their biggest problem this season has been putting teams away after taking the lead.

Lucas Moura should be back in contention after injury, while the form of Javier Pastore and Lavezzi definitely give Blanc options upfront.

Mixed in among the run of league games is PSG's Champions League quarter-final tie versus Barcelona. Ibrahimovic will also miss the first leg through suspension after his red card in the previous round against Chelsea.

The Swede also missed the opening game when they met in the group stage, but the trio of Cavani, Pastore and Moura were excellent in causing Barcelona problems at the back in PSG's 3-2 victory. Their movement, pace and ability to interchange positions was great to watch, and if PSG want to win their league games without Ibrahimovic, they will need to rediscover that early-season form.

However, it all comes down to Cavani.

Against Marseille, PSG showed they have no problem creating chances, but it was Cavani's inability to finish—something he has shown far too often this season—that caused the French champions problems.

The month of April will be huge in determining PSG’s season. It will also go a long way in showing whether this club is too dependent on the Swedish forward.

If Blanc’s team can come out the other side still on top of the table and in the Champions League semi-finals, it will bode well for both the short- and long-term future of the club.