Blog: The trouble with Ibra

Blog entry by Boaz of Cougar Microbes

Whilst the races for the Premier League and La Liga titles were pretty much over by the time March was through, Serie A — Europe’s third ranked league until the Bundesliga overtakes it next season — is showcasing one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory.

There have been numerous plotlines to follow thus far, making these past few weeks unpredictable, throughout the league table. Naturally both AC Milan and Inter, as widely expected at the start of the season,  are still in the hunt while Napoli are proving to be the loveable surprise package. With Juventus and Roma failing somewhat it is up to Lazio or the wonderfully gifted Udinese to battle for that final and symbolic fourth Champions League berth.

Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe

Amongst all this action I expected Zlatan Ibrahimovic — Mr Scudetto himself — to shine in the final rush for the title as he had done for Juventus and Inter in the past. However, Zlatan contrived to get his second straight red card of the season against Fiorentina last weekend, blocking him for two games, plus his eighth yellow card of the season — ruling him out for an additional week.

A quick glance at his stats and it is noticeable that — although he is generally known as quite a volatile character — his career disciplinary record is not too grave. But these same stats also highlight the fact that the Swedish international has never been as ill-disciplined as he has been for Milan this season. So what is the trouble with Zlatan?

His two sending-offs for the Rossoneri have been indicative of a player who is frustrated by his recent lack of goals. The first was for a petulant punch on Marco Rossi of Lecce — clearly an unpopular fellow as Inter’s Christian Chivu was also banned for the same offence — during a particularly ineffective performance. The aforementioned second in the Fiorentina game came after allegedly swearing at the linesman — Zlatan obviously claims he was angry with himself — after a poorly conceded ball.

There is a whole argument to be made about whether a player should walk when swearing in tense situations. During the same game players from both teams constantly got away with blatant insults to the referee’s face. Still, this does not mask the fact that the mercurial frontman has not found the back of the net since the end of February — the only goal he managed in that month.

Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images Europe

Whereas an external observer has the benefit of seeing all the “dirty” work that Zlatan does for the team — an example being Milan’s brilliantly worked second goal in Florence — it would seem some of the critics have succeeded in getting into the strikers head. Indeed owner Silvio Berlusconi was quoted — and later denied — saying: “We may have wasted money on this one”. Not quite the vote of confidence you would like to hear from an owner who loves his team possibly more than he loves himself.

It’s a pity because, goals or no goals, few players in Europe are as effective at leading the line as Ibra has been. And yet it is somewhat fortunate that he will miss matches against “manageable” opposition — Sampdoria, Brescia and Bologna. That said  Milan possibly need his one-man-show more against teams that close themselves down, rather than more adventurous sides who allow Pato and Robinho space behind the lines.

Zlatan will be back for the big match against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in May. This has the potential to be a turning point in the awarding of the Scudetto. After starting his season with such a bang it is time for Ibra’s name to be recorded once again in the ref’s notebook. This time for his goal-scoring prowess rather than his ill temper.