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Ibrahimović, Zlatan Ibrahimović |
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Mar 11 2011, 12:38 PM
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Berretti
         
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Ouch. (IMG: style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) (IMG: style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Saw this piece earlier today: QUOTE By Peter Staunton Mar 10, 2011 12:30:00 PM
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will never win a Champions League
Arrigo Sacchi, the coach of a Milan side which won two European Cups, observed that one can be a 'great footballer but perhaps not a great player'. Watching Milan founder at continental level brings to mind the great tactician's words.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a prodigiously gifted footballer. His combination of bulk, touch and strength gives him a head start on most players in his position but the Swede would not have got close to making Sacchi's winning team. In Serie A, when relied upon to find the net against the likes of Lecce, Catania and Cesena, 'Ibra' cuts an immense figure; ruthless, aggressive and capable of winning matches on his own. But the elite level of competition, the Champions League, needs not these qualities.
Champions League winning sides require their players to buy into the idea of competing for the collective. In recent times, Manchester United, Barcelona and Inter had that quality. Players in those teams had, or still have, an innate sense of the right thing to do.
It is no coincidence that Inter won the trophy the first season Zlatan deserted. It is no coincidence that Barca ditched him after a season. His sort is becoming increasingly obsolete at the top level of the modern game; stationary strikers who demand the ball to feet. His team-mates are instructed to play their offensive game only on his terms.
Against Tottenham, Ibra was typically ineffective. That is 23 Champions League knockout matches that have yielded only three goals. His team scored only seven times in eight European fixtures this season. And his lumbering presence is one of the key reasons behind that.
He uses the ball too inefficiently, refuses to be involved close to the half-way line and at the top level is a one-dimensional, ponderous player. Champions League winning teams do not buy players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They sell them.
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Mar 11 2011, 01:40 PM
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Berretti
         
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QUOTE (kurtsimonw @ Mar 11 2011, 04:41 PM)  I suppose Ronaldo was ajust someone that held teams back too? Apologies for the double post, ladies and gentlemen, but this I had to ask. (IMG: style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Which Ronaldo? The original or the Portuguese remake. The genuine article was just a bit unlucky when it came to the CL. He never had much of a chance at inter, when he transferred to Madrid, they had won a couple a few years back, then onto Milan and he was not part of the squad that won in 2007. Though he did try as hard as anyone, being the champion he is. (IMG: style_emoticons/default/devil.gif) I have never forgotten this night: Ronaldo : Manchester vs. Real Madrid 23.04.2003 (Hattrick) 4:3
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Mar 11 2011, 01:53 PM
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Berretti
         
Group: Helpers
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QUOTE (kurtsimonw @ Mar 11 2011, 05:46 PM)  The original I was talking about. Teams have played for won it when he wasn't there, but couldn't do it with him. It doesn't make him bad or a choker though, just like it doesn't with Zlatan. True. (IMG: style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I think to get a better picture we may just have to compare both player's stats. Ibra is at 23 or 24 games with just 3 goals in the knockout ties, two of them with Barca against Arsenal last season. Though then again he missed some very close chances with inter against United a couple of years back. It is not totally about not winning the darn thing, but the goal scored ratio for an out and out striker is a decent enough indication. It does not tell the whole story though, and while I am of the view that he can't pull it off in the matches that count, it would be stupid to blame it all on Ibra when his team falters. (IMG: style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Choke he does, but then again, by the same token the whole team chokes, not just the Swede. It's a bit worrisome, to say the least, if not totally outrageous!
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Mar 11 2011, 04:34 PM
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Primavera

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A giant against the midgets, a midget against the giants... and Tottenham.
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