[Zed.D]

Calcio Debate: Ibrahimovic – A Big Game Flop?


Inter face an uphill task of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League following last night’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. Carlo Garganese offers his post-match anlaysis...


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Inter may be accused of being favoured by referees in Serie A this season, however in the Champions League nothing could be further from the truth.

Marco Materazzi received his marching orders after half-an-hour at Anfield following two of the softest yellow cards you will ever see. Inter have every right to be aggrieved with the Belgian official Frank de Bleeckere, who if there is any justice, should be immediately suspended from the next round of Champions League matches.

This sending off forced Inter to play two-thirds of the game with 10 men, and it was clear that from this point onwards a draw was always going to be a good result. They almost managed this, until a rather fortuitous goal by Dirk Kuyt five minutes from time.

Inter would have still been confident of overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the second leg, however Steven Gerrard’s last-minute strike puts Liverpool in firm command ahead of the trip to San Siro.

One of the major disappointments on the night was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It must be recognised that the Swede was up against it and isolated for most of the game following Materazzi’s sending off. Perhaps this caused him to controversially blame the defender for Inter’s defeat.

However instead of laying into Materazzi, who did not deserve to be sent off, maybe Ibrahimovic should take a look at his own performance. The odds may have been stacked against him from minute 30, but supposedly great players should show their true colours in these situations.

Ibrahimovic is starting to garner a reputation as something of a big-game choker. There can be no doubting that he is a brilliant player, however his record against top teams/defences/defenders, or in big matches, is not impressive.

This season alone he was dominated by Giorgio Chiellini in the match with Juventus, while against Milan in the derby he was completely played off the park by Alessandro Nesta.

It is in the big Champions League games where Ibrahimovic has most disappointed. Yes he has scored five times in the group stages this campaign, but I am talking about the decisive matches - those knockout games that really matter.

Last season he failed to make the difference when Inter needed him as they crashed out to Valencia in the second round. While at Juventus the forward became notorious for his impotent displays, and if my memory is correct, he failed to even hit the back of the net in Europe in his first season in Turin.

He was completely anonymous in both legs of the Bianconeri’s quarter-final exit to Liverpool that year, and this was exactly the case the following season during the defeat to Arsenal at the same stage.

The one exception in the Champions League when Ibra really turned it on was in a tie against Real Madrid at the Stadio Delle Alpi when he was simply brilliant, so good in fact that the Spanish-side immediately lodged a huge bid for him.

However performances such as these in big games, particularly in Europe, have been very scarce, and a big performance is required from Ibra against Liverpool in the second leg if he is to get anywhere close to justifying his tag as one of, if not the best forward in Europe.

Inter will certainly need their star striker in top form if they are to turn the tide at San Siro in three weeks time.

For a start they face huge problems in the centre of defence. Materazzi is suspended, Ivan Cordoba, who was outstanding last night, is injured, while Walter Samuel is of course out for the season.

Breaking down Liverpool will not be easy. With the simply world-class Javier Mascherano protecting the back four, space will be at a premium.

Of course there is also Rafa Benitez, one of the most tactically astute managers in Europe. The Spaniard may not, and probably never will, grasp how to succeed in the Premiership, but in the Champions League he really is a genius. Just ask the long-line of top-class coaches he has outwitted in the past, such as Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Benitez will have Liverpool set-up in the correct way, and if they grab a goal on the counter-attack this will leave Inter needing four, which will surely be too much to ask.

The tie is certainly not over however. If Inter can score before half-time they can certainly go on and win the tie, but there is no doubt that the odds are stacked against them.

What are your views on this topic? Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic a big-game choker? What did you think of the sending-off last night? Can Inter turn around the result in the second leg? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think.



Carlo Garganese [this guy really has got something against Inter!]

[Tennie]

He's got a point - to an extent. The Merda attack last night was...just not there, even before Matrix was sent off. And Nesta did mark Ibra out of the derby (which is admirable in itself but which didn't do Milan any good as they still lost).

Big game choker? Not sure Zlatan's quite earned that yet.

[Portman]

If the matches vs. Milan, Roma and Juve are not top matches... then yes. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Tennie]

IIRC, he didn't do much during this year's derby, Porty. Nesta made sure of that.

(the eyeroll smiley makes me dizzy)

[Portman]

IIRC, he didn't do much during this year's derby, Porty. Nesta made sure of that.

(the eyeroll smiley makes me dizzy)

Neither did Kaka' on the last 3 derbies.

[Zed.D]

Neither did Kaka' on the last 3 derbies.

So?...

Kaka has proved to be the BIG games' man. perhaps the last three derbies have not been that big! but seriously Kaka like they say is a finished article. we're talking about Zlatan. what the hell does Kaka have to do with it? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Zed.D]

He's got a point - to an extent. The Merda attack last night was...just not there, even before Matrix was sent off. And Nesta did mark Ibra out of the derby (which is admirable in itself but which didn't do Milan any good as they still lost).

Big game choker? Not sure Zlatan's quite earned that yet.

I'm not sure if it's Ibra's fault Inter's attack was so innocuous. they were all scared! so he couldn't do anything singlehandedly.

Anfield's atmosphere is amazingly scary!

[dst]

Not really. I'd say big CL-game flop.

[kurtsimonw]

As dst said. He seems to play just fine in big Serie A games, so I'd just say he doesn't perform in the CL as much.

But 99% of people perform worse in the CL for the simple reason that they play a good team in it every game.

[whoarethepatriot...]

Not really. I'd say big CL-game flop.

Swedish version of C.Ronaldo then, actually he is a big game choker fullstop

As dst said. He seems to play just fine in big Serie A games, so I'd just say he doesn't perform in the CL as much.

But 99% of people perform worse in the CL for the simple reason that they play a good team in it every game.

Inter dont tend to perform in CL matches fullstop. If Matrix hadnt been sent off and Cordoba injured the results would have been different.

Still another season, another Inter choke on the big (international) stage

This post has been edited by whoarethepatriots: Feb 21 2008, 01:20 AM

[misha]

Not really. I'd say big CL-game flop.

Are you talking about merda? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[dst]

But 99% of people perform worse in the CL for the simple reason that they play a good team in it every game.

Ibra has been average in the majority of his big CL games. Of course I'm not expecting him to ridicule defenders the way he does against weak Serie A sides but I haven't seen something big as in doing even one thing that's decisive. Not with Ajax (well, he showed some good stuff against Milan in the 2nd leg back then), not with Juventus and not with Inter.

In Serie A it's a different story. And he had great games with Sweden in Euro '04 too (who can forget this?...).

Are you talking about merda? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

Well yeah... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

This post has been edited by dst: Feb 21 2008, 01:51 AM

[Jack Sparrow]

I wouldn't call him a flop per se. It's just that everyone knows by now, that Inter have got F all for a creative mid-field, and everything needs to come through him.

So all you do is mark him down or rough him up. And he's the kind of person, who's kinda whiny, when things don't go his way. His game drops down a notch instead.

By Serie A standards Inter's mid-field's absolute lack of technique isn't that huge a problem.

[Zed.D]

"Ibrahimovic – A Big Game Flop?"

I think I can say yes, he is...

[Tennie]

Normally, I'd be happy to bash a Merda player. However, in this particular case I'm reserving judgment because Ibrahimovic isn't fully healthy - he's still got that funky issue with a tear (sometimes translated as a hole) in a tendon in his knee. That's got to affect his performance to some extent.