‘Everyone is an expert’: Ibrahimovic’s jokes an antithesis to the clarity Milan need | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a fleeting presence in front of the media cameras in his almost one year at AC Milan so far, and his latest declarations came last night.

Milan are currently struggling to find consistency in the league given that they sit eight points off top and seven points off fourth place. In the Champions League they are on two wins and two losses, so it has been a mixed start.

In the 125th anniversary campaign the hope was that things would come together under the new head coach Paulo Fonseca so that a trophy or two could be a legitimate target to mark the occasion. Instead, doubts persist over the summer choices made.

Words from the guarantor

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to Milan as a Senior Advisor 11 months ago, many saw it as a positive step. A figure synonymous with the recent rebirth of the club and a man obsessed by winning was returning to set the standards, at least that’s how it was viewed.

It is important to bring in a couple of recent interviews that the Swede has given, in which he gave a glimpse into how he perceives Milan’s current state to be and also the project moving forward.

Ibrahimovic was interviewed by the UEFA Champions League Magazine before the game against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, and we translated his interview in full. As part of it, he was asked about why he returned.

“I believe in the project, I believe in what Milan represents, and I think I share the same vision as the people who work there and the owners because they want to do extraordinary things,” he said.

“They want to make history, win, and when it comes to winning, that’s when I feel alive, because I want to win, I’ll do anything to win and I won’t give up until I win. Now I work for the club from a different perspective.

“I can’t influence or contribute on the pitch, I’m working from the outside, I have a lot to learn. I’m entering this new situation with humility, step by step, and I’m learning a lot. I feel connected to Milan in a special way even after my career, and I want to do great things with Milan.”

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Then, Ibrahimovic was present in Turin last night for an event to launch the Kings League, and he spoke to Sky Italia.

“We are working every day to achieve balance and stability. The team is doing well, but we can do better and that is what we want,” said Ibrahimovic.

“What can we do better? Balance. We lose games that we should not be losing. That is about mental balance, when we find that, then the team will do much, much better. But we are positive and improving every day.”

When asked about the chances of January business, he continued his trend of failing to really give a straight answer, joking his way around the topic and then suggesting the status quo is fine.

“Do we need that? Do you have any requests? (Smiles). Everyone is an expert and has advice (laughs). I’m kidding, the transfer market is every day, we have a scouting system to look for players, what we need and what we don’t.

“However, as of right now, we are not thinking about reinforcements. We’ll see what happens over the next two months, hopefully there are no injuries to our players. If all goes well, we will keep going with this team.”

Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

Words vs. reality

For Ibrahimovic, Milan’s inconsistencies are only a matter of time from fading away, and this takes the pressure off the management ahead of the January window. The squad, in the Swede’s eyes, is complete and should remain intact should nobody leave.

Furthermore, with the ‘let’s hope there is no news for our players’, the legend seems to refer to possible star transfers rather than the outcasts within the squad, such as Divock Origi and Fode Ballo-Toure, who are not already part of the first team and are currently training with Milan Futuro.

Following Ibra’s words, does that mean fans should look to January without great ambitions, and instead with the worry that some valuable piece might even decide to leave the club?

According to what has been gathered by our colleagues at SempreMilan.it, Milan do not seem willing to let any of the big three – Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and/or Rafael Leao – leave, nor should any of the new arrivals such as Tijjani Reijnders or Alvaro Morata in the mid-season mercato.

Therefore, Ibrahimovic’s words seem more circumstantial and limited to a small portion of the squad including the enigmatic Luka Jovic. However, it is not excluded that within this list names such as Fikayo Tomori, Ismael Bennacer, Davide Calabria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be present.

Between truths, half-truths and quips, Zlatan has therefore paraphrased his own mentor Adriano Galliani, who with his ‘sell before you buy’ has characterised Milan’s winter markets for almost two decades.

Of course, the other explanation is that he is referring to nothing happening to any of the key players regarding injuries, which would then potentially force a change in strategy. However, he left it vague enough to read between.

The problem upstream and the hope ahead

Yet, something the interviewer was not quick enough to point out and perhaps challenge was that the issues are in the first statement made last night by Ibrahimovic: Milan do not have a complete squad.

Rationalising and therefore reversing Ibra’s words, it must be made clear that the eighth place occupied by the Rossoneri in the standings is not the ‘cause’ but the effect of the inadequacy of the squad.

The Diavolo are a team that are still today, on November 19, in a construction phase and needs to plant the crops in the right positions to be completed.

The midfield is certainly the department that needs the most manpower, with the attack following shortly after. It cannot consist of three strikers and then a 16-year-old who is thrown into the deep end in a delicate moment.

For the rest, and here we agree with Ibra, Fonseca must act in the knowledge that his side are lagging behind. Milan so far have been the protagonists of feats that deserve underlining like against Inter and Real Madrid, but in general they sail in the waters of mediocrity, of mid-table in both competitions.

We close with the hope that Milan can do some business in January to reinforce the departments that need strengthening rather than hiding behind the alibi of the coach who did not hit the targets in May.

If it is true that the management move compactly as a ship and do not question their watertight compartments, then it must also be judged in its entirety, ownership included. Today it is only time to express some concerns, for judgment (and remedy, we hope) there is still time.