Bharath Rammr
Watford boss Walter Mazzarri framed Manchester United striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as “immortal”. This was certainly a high praise coming from the former Inter Milan manager, but let’s face it, Ibrahimovic has received similar praises over the last few years. As Ibrahimovic was still making his name in Italian football playing for the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan, there was little interest from English clubs in the center forward. This never seemed strange especially considering that Ibrahimovic seemed to have everything a striker needs in English football – physical presence, pace, skills, and eye for goal.
Clubs, though, were a lot skeptical over the latter, as they felt that Ibrahimovic was not delivering performances against the top teams. This conclusion was largely derived from the fact that Italian clubs were not making much impact in the Champions League. Ibrahimovic was also scoring goals against mediocre clubs than against top clubs, well that’s what the critics said. Since his move to Barcelona then AC Milan and finally PSG, the big Swede has achieved an incredible status of invincibility and he has been able to give a major lift to his teammates as a result.
Even though he has joined United on a free transfer, Ibrahimovic has been commanding more attention than the world’s most expensive player, Paul Pogba and his latest goal in the Manchester derby took his season’s tally to 5 in as many games. Watford clearly knew who offers the biggest threat from the United squad and they somehow managed to keep the beast silent. Ibrahimovic still has the same qualities that he possessed throughout his career. However, he has been able to add the element of consistency and it has seen him score the goals in some big moments.
Ibrahimovic may be 34 and approaching the end of his career, but José Mourinho reckons that the footballer has been showing no signs of slowing down even at this age. Unlike some of the other strikers, Ibrahimovic has not been showing a tendency to get into the box at breakneck speeds. Instead, he has been calm, collected, and able to utilise his experience to the core. A strong supply of crosses from the likes of Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney provides him a great way to use his 6 ft 5 in frame. There are not many Premier League defenders who are taller than him and is the advantage of having him in the squad, but the problem with the tactic that Mourinho is using is the lack of crosses in the box. The wingers are now adopting their role of cutting inside from the touchline and with that; Zlatan’s aerial ability is not being utilized.
Many felt that Ibrahimovic was not really tested much at PSG due to the lack of quality in the French league. However, the Swede almost has a similar goals-to-game ratio at United. The management has changed, yet the Devils are struggling in the final third but Ibrahimovic is trying his skin out and his work rate is solely helping his cause. There are very few names who are performing to the level as expected. We have Eric Bailly, who too is looking a bit sloppy now, then we have Valencia and Luke Shaw. These are the names who are performing a bit better than the others and then we have Ibrahimovic. Even at such a big club like United, Ibrahimovic seems too good player (talking in the context of the current situation).
He truly is from another planet.
