MN: Protecting Leao and taking blame – Ibrahimovic breaks silence with two clear messages

Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to make his voice heard again, and some key themes stuck out from his most recent interview.

Aside from speaking engagements and guest appearances at institutional events, such as his participation in the ECA General Assembly a few days ago, it’s been a while since Ibrahimovic spoke about football and club management issues.

However, he did so this morning with a long and interesting interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. MilanNews have analysed his words, and two main themes emerge from the Swede’s statements.

Self-reflection

After a bit of soul-searching perhaps, the following line from Zlatan stands out: “My role hasn’t changed, it’s always the same, I represent the ownership. Last year I did more than I had to , no one asked me to, I was the one who felt like doing it, but I didn’t like it.”

It appears to be an admission of guilt, as if to acknowledge that he took a step too quickly and overstepped his limits. The subsequent statement on the arrival of Igli Tare confirms that the club also perhaps realised this, as the reports suggested weeks ago.

“The club has added what was missing: now there is a figure who is always in contact with the players and the coach , it is Igli Tare and he does it well,” Ibrahimovic said.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Protection for Leao

The second aspect that must be considered very important in Ibra’s statements is how the Swede has clearly sided with Rafael Leao, amid all of the criticism and media noise since the Juventus game.

Leao has been the subject of discussion, as he often is, both for his missed chances in Turin against Juventus and for his dressing room dressing down from Allegri. Zlatan played the role of Fireman, throwing some water on things.

“Let’s remember that during preparation he was the best, then he was out for a month and he needs to get back in shape. Of course we expect magic, because Leao is magic!

“We will always talk about him, because he is one of the best players in the world. I saw him as a kid, now he has two children: it’s a journey. I have become mature at 28. And in any case, when we won the Scudetto, I can say that he won it alone…”

This is an important demonstration by the club, which through Ibrahimovic has decided to protect its best talent, without however discrediting Allegri’s work.

“In 2011, Max was very good at managing. Now it’s different, there are fewer champion egos. And Allegri has done his job, he’s already won a lot, he knows how to do it.”