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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Sweden flag

2016-17 Performances


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6.2 Season Average Rating
Appearances
46
Goals
28
Assists
9
Yellow cards
8
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He drops deep, someone rushes forward in the space he leaves behind and it disrupts the backline which creates more space for players to work with. It's not hard to see. What's the problem? It's how he plays

Agreed, he does this quite often. Today some of his passes were off target. I also think we would see him in the box more if we had somebody other than just Pogba who could find him.

Saying that, I think they are good chances for somebody of the ability of Zlatan.
 
I wanted to talk about how he wasted some of the easy passes by causally passing or underhitting it with almost no pressure.

He is still a very good player on his days. But, he can be very wasteful with everything. In games like this, it is ok.

In tight games, not so much. Probably, it is how he got big game bottler title back in the day.
Except it was him in the bigger games such as Liverpool that got us points when the rest of the side looked devoid of anything.

The fact Zlatan can even turn a mediocre pass into a chested down on the turn volley for people to be annoyed of him wasting speaks volumes of his ability. Most players wouldn't even get a shot off. Service for him was mediocre today and he made some great chances out of relatively little.

Not to mention he made some great moments for others such as the long pass to Mata which Mata hesitated to get onto and probably would have been a stunning goal if he committed.

It wasn't his best performance, but the fact he still creates and causes these threats on a "poor" performance (for him) is not something to be scoffed at.
 
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He can be an incredibly infuriating player.
Yup, as much as I enjoy his persona, I don't think there are many top class footballers I like watching less than Zlatan. He has this horrible habit of over-complicating things when he doesn't need to. There were at least two or three times today where he had options around him in much better positions, but he'd rather do the world's slowest, saddest collection of tricks over the ball, go absolutely nowhere with it, and then either lose the ball or finally play the obvious pass that was there all along, except now it isn't as obvious because the defense has been given time to reset. This happens in every single game.

And then when he actually should hold it up, he'll try a fancy flick or an overambitious through ball that I imagine has a success rate of about 5%. Too often I feel like his thought process isn't simply "how will this best help my team", but "how can I be the hero and look really cool and creative here?" Someone like Mikhi is miles better as a dribbler and passer but he only pulls out the tricks when they're necessary - when they have a purpose. With Zlatan, the purpose appears to be convince us he's not just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill hugely successful goalscrorer, but also a highly cerebral, top class playmaker. He's not.
 
His hold up play is incredible, but man his profligacy is a big issue.
 
Wasn't awful today but i find him very frustrating to watch, drops way too deep at times getting in the way of others. Dropping deep at times is fine but he does it way too often, to the detriment of our attack.

Yet again passed up an easy header to try another kung fu kick finish. It's good that he seems certain to stay as he's been good overall this season, but we really need a clinical first choice striker if we are going to challenge for the league next year. Ibra is far too wasteful, with the chances he's had this year he should be on 30+ goals already.
 
I'm probably going to get a lot of negative criticism for saying this but we're never going to be a top team with him playing as the main striker. We need a hungrier, younger striker who main aim is to put the ball in the net.

Ibra's poor finishing and extremely sloppy passing will be evident in the big games where you won't be getting 3-4 chances to score a goal. Exceptional player back in the day, still is very good but we are only going to start looking like a ruthless machine when we get a world class striker in.
 
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The thing that surprises me is that Zlatan missed some chances that were by no means easy (a volley, volley on the turn etc) whereas Pogba missed an absolute sitter that just needed tapping in and apparently Zlatan is the one that is old and not hungry for it? Pogba has missed more clear cut chances than anyone and yet gets huge praise for today's game when he missed the easiest one, kept taking us backwards and didn't really contribute to any of the vital moments unlike Zlatan.

I think people genuinely are hung up on his age and use it for a reason to discredit his performances. The nonsense about big games is another strange point when he has been the one to score or rescue us so many points this season including against the likes of Liverpool, City, Everton where the rest of the side fell short.
 
He was crap today, people taking offence to people stating that fact are just.....well every player has their legion
 
I'll take offence to how fecking miserable the majority of you lot are today.

Two points off 2nd, haven't lost a PL game since like forever, a very good home performance/win and look at you lot! Moaning miseryballs.

Unreal.
 
Which one? Zlatan missed an absolute sitter

That's a sitter? Running at full pace and controlling a ball that high is honestly in no way easy. Yes, a player of his calibre could and should do better, but the ball being close to the net doesn't automatically make it a sitter. There's a reason why many defenders put balls like that in their own net by mistake.
 
That's a sitter? Running at full pace and controlling a ball that high is honestly in no way easy. Yes, a player of his calibre could and should do better, but the ball being close to the net doesn't automatically make it a sitter. There's a reason why many defenders put balls like that in their own net by mistake.
Controlling the ball that high? Just stick your head on it ffs :lol:
 
His hold up play today was incredible. Finishing aside, he was far from poor today.
 
Why doesn't he just stick his head on crosses? He had an easy header in the second half and stuck his foot up and cleared it. :lol:
 
That's a sitter? Running at full pace and controlling a ball that high is honestly in no way easy. Yes, a player of his calibre could and should do better, but the ball being close to the net doesn't automatically make it a sitter. There's a reason why many defenders put balls like that in their own net by mistake.

Head it.
 
Why doesn't he just stick his head on crosses? He had an easy header in the second half and stuck his foot up and cleared it. :lol:
That's a sitter? Running at full pace and controlling a ball that high is honestly in no way easy. Yes, a player of his calibre could and should do better, but the ball being close to the net doesn't automatically make it a sitter. There's a reason why many defenders put balls like that in their own net by mistake.
 
The thing that surprises me is that Zlatan missed some chances that were by no means easy (a volley, volley on the turn etc) whereas Pogba missed an absolute sitter that just needed tapping in and apparently Zlatan is the one that is old and not hungry for it? Pogba has missed more clear cut chances than anyone and yet gets huge praise for today's game when he missed the easiest one, kept taking us backwards and didn't really contribute to any of the vital moments unlike Zlatan.

I think people genuinely are hung up on his age and use it for a reason to discredit his performances. The nonsense about big games is another strange point when he has been the one to score or rescue us so many points this season including against the likes of Liverpool, City, Everton where the rest of the side fell short.

Jaysus. All people said is he had a bad game. It happens. Nobody's saying he's too old. He's still brilliant
 
Never scores when I captain him in fantasy footy, so I take the blame.

Be glad I didn't go today though, as I haven't seen us win the last FIVE times I've been up!!
 
What's irritating is not him having a bad game, is that Jose won't take him off. We were playing with 10 men for the larger part of the 2nd half. His legs looked gone and I don't see why we couldn't put on Rashford or slotted Martial into striker with Lingard on the wing.
 
What's irritating is not him having a bad game, is that Jose won't take him off. We were playing with 10 men for the larger part of the 2nd half. His legs looked gone and I don't see why we couldn't put on Rashford or slotted Martial into striker with Lingard on the wing.
Playing with 10 men, what are you on about, I think the consensus is he was bad in the first and good in the second.

Did you miss the assist and blocking the keeper allowing Martial to score?
 
Playing with 10 men, what are you on about, I think the consensus is he was bad in the first and good in the second.

Did you miss the assist and blocking the keeper allowing Martial to score?
Ya my biggest gripe was his first half, but he was a lot better in the second.
 
I don't get it either.


Hey I've only ever played amateur football and maybe you guys are far more talented than I, but watching this replay I honestly can't physically put myself in that space and reach the ball with my head. I also can't think of any examples of anyone ever doing that in a professional game but I'd love to be proved wrong with some videos that show how this would be considered a sitter.
 
Hey I've only ever played amateur football and maybe you guys are far more talented than I, but watching this replay I honestly can't physically put myself in that space and reach the ball with my head. I also can't think of any examples of anyone ever doing that in a professional game but I'd love to be proved wrong with some videos that show how this would be considered a sitter.
The ball is head height though, I'm really not getting where you are coming from?
 
Good link-up play. Sometimes a bit sloppy. Should have scored that chance he had in the 2nd. Should have went in with his head.

I am curious what's happened to his shot power though. It doesn't seem anywhere near what it was last season.
 
The ball is head height though, I'm really not getting where you are coming from?

Yes, but it's too far, he needs to dive. You can't dive and reach that height while running at full pace, it's just not happening. It's also moving and dipping very quickly, which is why he tries to reach it with his foot when it's a little lower and beyond his body. Whatever, coulda shoulda, I just don't think it was a sitter but even he knows he should've done better and the frustration was more than obvious
 
I've got a few gripes with Zlat, I do rate him highly but there are few things that bug me.

  • Always tries to kung fu kick the ball rather than head it, he's shown many times this season he's a huge threat in the air.
  • Always moaning at teammates when he doesn't receive the ball, would be interested to find out what they actually think of him personally.
  • Extremely sloppy in possession, misplaced passes and poor first time balls.
  • Drops too deep at times and has little chance of getting up field halting our attacks.
 
Yes, but it's too far, he needs to dive. You can't dive and reach that height while running at full pace, it's just not happening. It's also moving and dipping very quickly, which is why he tries to reach it with his foot when it's a little lower and beyond his body. Whatever, coulda shoulda, I just don't think it was a sitter but even he knows he should've done better and the frustration was more than obvious
I disagree completely. That ball is begging to be headed.
 
The commentator on NBC said it perfectly after he set up that Micky chance in the 2nd half. "He doesn't have his shooting boots on but his link up play has been very good"

Should of got on the scoresheet but wasn't the worst performance overall
 
Its this black and white attitude some people have that makes me laugh. You either have to score and spread the ball around and put a shift in or you are "disgraceful" and not as good as a striker from 2003 in his prime, who played with Beckham, Scholes, Keane and Giggs around him. Its so daft. I swear Andy Cole would have been slammed if he was around today. Absolutely buried as a player.
 
I've got a few gripes with Zlat, I do rate him highly but there are few things that bug me.

  • Always tries to kung fu kick the ball rather than head it, he's shown many times this season he's a huge threat in the air.
    [*]Always moaning at teammates when he doesn't receive the ball, would be interested to find out what they actually think of him personally.
  • Extremely sloppy in possession, misplaced passes and poor first time balls.
  • Drops too deep at times and has little chance of getting up field halting our attacks.
1. He's said in an interview that heading is his biggest weakness, and it always has been. He's much more comfortable with his feet even if it has to be a kung fu kick.

2. This has also always been the case, since I can remember watching him. I'm not sure what players think of him, but he is a good guy of the field and has been praised for it everywhere by his teammates.
 
Im glad United won today or I'd personally go cut his hairbun so he stop thinking he's some kind of ninja out there trying to Kung fu kick a opennetter and MISS. Just feckin shoot the ball in the net. Seriously.
 
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