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| Friday 25 April, 2008 |
| Blog: Italy needs Ibracadabra |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that he'd be tempted by a move to England or Spain. Richard Godden urges Inter to keep hold of the Swede for Serie A's sake |
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The Zlatan Ibrahimovic that we have seen in the second half of the season has been a shadow of the showboating superstar who was present pre-February. But don't be fooled - Italian football needs one of the world's best players to remain in Serie A if the League is to try and keep pace with their English and Spanish equivalents.
The Swede is currently sidelined with a knee problem that has been bothering him for quite some time, which I guess is a reasonable enough explanation for why a striker who looked so dangerous in the early months of the campaign has netted just twice since we waved goodbye to January. Although he tried to play through the pain, it wasn't doing anyone any favours and a visit to his old physio in Malmo should see him right.
But will it be to the benefit of Inter or one of the leading clubs in the Premier League and La Liga? The former Ajax ace has yet to sign the deal put in front of him by the Nerazzurri which would make him the highest-paid player in the Italian top flight, so his latest suggestion that he could be tempted by a foreign adventure is not just bad news for Inter, but also calcio fans in general.
You might hate the so-called Beneamata - which, ironically, means 'well loved' - and you could well tire of the sulky antics of a player who has as much natural ability as any other footballer on the planet. Yet there is no escaping the fact that superstars such as Ibrahimovic are crucial to Serie A's standing in world football.
The Swede is up there with the likes of Kaka, Francesco Totti and Gigi Buffon domestically, while on the continent he has the ability to compete with the Premiership's Cristiano Ronaldo and La Liga's Lionel Messi. So put club rivalry to one side and let us hope that Ibra is lining up in his familiar black and blue jersey next term, because ultimately it will be Italian football who is the biggest loser if he moves on to pastures new.
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Don't let the big entertaining star leave Italy!!!
Mikkel
So if Inter decide to accept a ridiculously inflated bid for a 27-year-old, who in two years with them hasn't been able to make it to the end of the season, might have chronic knee problems and scored in open play seven times this year, in order to bring in Drogba and/or Ronaldinho its somehow an indictment on Serie A? Please. You judge a League on how good it is 1-20, not 1-4, and Serie A and La Liga are still the best....
Michael, USA
Italy needs Ibra? He may be a top-class player, but let us be serious: what has Ibra won in Italy? He has to proove that he's worthy to play in Italy. He has only won in Italy and nothing in Europe. During the Champions League he couldn't handle the pressure!
And if you only say that there is only Kaka, Buffon and Totti in Italy... it makes me laugh. Were do you put players such as Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, De Rossi, Mancini, Trezeguet, Nesta, Mutu - below Ibra??? I don't think so. Almost all the players have won the Champions Leaugue..
Italy don't need traders such as Ibra or Shevchenko. If he was a serious player he will still be playing for Juventus (even if I am a Rossonero). But instead he has chosen for the money. And it makes me laugh that such a great player has only won the title in Serie A and nothing in Europe!!!
Valerio
Italian football couldn't afford to lose players like Kaka, Buffon, Del Piero, De Rossi, Pirlo, Gatusso and Totti. But Ibrahimovic? I doubt it. He has great feet, but in all honesty, he doesn't score enough goals for a striker. The goals he does score are usually fairly simple shots. How many goal of the season contenders come from Ibra? Very few.
In Italy, his quick feet, vision and skill create chances, but in Europe he isn't fast enough and he isn't clinical enough to really change big matches. When has he ever put in a fighting performance that really turned a game - never. Look at Juve's attack now that he has gone. It is much better, and Del Piero and Trezeguet have both scored more goals than Ibrahimovic.
Chris
Yes, I agree with you that Italy needs such a big star like Ibra... It's true that he hasn't scored as many goals as Totti or Toni during his spell in Italy,as he is not a pure striker but a creator of the game. However, with 15 goals scored by a player whose struggling against knee injury,can we say it is so little? And we can't close our eyes with the impact he brought to Inter in his two year adventure with the Beneamata. With his great techincal ability and natural habit as an entertainer on the pitch Ibra is something special who guarantee an entertaining game as well as fair match result for the fans! I do hope he will stay and win in Europe with Inter for the sake of himself, fans, club and Italy.
Aputz, Bali
I don’t believe that Serie A needs Ibra, if he wants to go to Chelsea and flop then let him. My opinion is that Serie A, with or without Ibra, is technically better and more entertaining to watch than the Permiership. The EPL has a powerful marketing campaign behind it in the form of Sky Sports, but when you take off the Sky-tinted glasses , the Premiership is so overhyped its untrue (a bit like McDonald’s food). The money is making a big difference, but the quality of football is declining, so I say let Ibra go off and follow the glory hunting footsteps of Shevchenko and others. Forza Napoli (having a very good season). Long may it last.
Sean |
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