Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Zlatan Transfer Cirkus

As the rain falls and the forthcoming autumn shines its arrival with clarity we close the window to keep the cold out. Same thing with the transfer window but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic who, according to media, been freezing half to death in the cold since May, no clarity can be found.

No, this will be a drama that might close on the last day and in the end we will be none the wiser. The yearly Zlatan-transfer cirkus is Swedish tabloids perhaps most endeared tool in the box. For tabloid Aftonbladet it’s a win-win situation but with no quarterly statement. Regardless if you are employed on a summer vacancy – whom Zlatan won’t talk to – or if you are quasinquisitive blogger Robert Laul – whom Zlatan definitely won’t talk to – you have a he span of freedom and fantasy to compensate for facts; Zlatan avoids talking to Aftonbladet, except a few occasions, because mentioned blogger had the audacity to post a advert in Zlatans name where he was looking for a girlfriend. Its a win-win indeed because Zlatan is not going to deny or confirm something in a paper he dont talk to.

When reading this and other 100 articles you get the impression that Zlatan seems to be a grumpy one. Poisoned personal rows seems to leave a trail in his footsteps. The strained relationship with former national manager Lagerbäck serves as litmus. Fights with Van Der Vaart in Ajax, with Ljungberg in the national team, with half of Juventus, Materzzi and a few more proves all of this but what media often mention but forget to take into account for real is that Zlatan has, like his way of playing, undergone some major development of maturity. The father of two children still has his cocky, working class, immigrant attitude intact when you look on his posture and gesture. His choice of words, his judgment and actions are no way near flawless like his predecessor to Swedish team captain Patrik Andersson who probably could fall out of an aircraft with the same sedative tone of voice as always.

The captains armband was not handed to Zlatan because of his efforts in the chicken yellow jersey, because of his sheer class or achivements. It was given to him because he is a mature person and like all adults he has flaws. No, the explanation needs to be found elsewhere. The yearly Zlatan transfer circus has but one organizer, beneficiary and spectator: Agent Milo Raiola. Milo Raiola – who definitely will talk to Aftonbladet – will of course make a buck or two out of this and if the transfer collapses it would not surprise me if the commission from Aftonbladet will be enough for food and potatoes until next summer.

If Zlatan moved away from dropping preposterous oneliners to actual jokes then it would be unfair to the say the same thing about Mentor Mino. “Father figure” is an empty phrase in the football community and it would be to reach to say that Mino has played such a role for Zlatan but that he should not have contracted him with his Berlusconingitis arrogance-virus is not a stretch at all . The agent and the player met when Zlatan was young and when he seemed to absorb any lesson. Perhaps even the bad ones? Perhaps you don’t need to go to the psych ward if you purchase a player for €75 M Euro and don’t use him fully, like Raiola hinted to Guardiola.



He did however scratch a nerve of relevancy with that statement or yesterday’s outburst that the Catalan club is not “FC Guardiola”. The tarnished relations with Zlatan and the club can, of course, not come down to just the player and his agent or in this case.

How come a player who was captaining a side with both arroganceapostels Romario and Stoichkov in attack seemed to have learned nothing of managing egos from his shadow mentor Cruyff?

More to come on that topic and other thoughts arbout Barca. Soon.

End of part 1

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Bloggen kapad

Bloggen kapad eller något. Massa FB postningar som jag inte vet hur dom kröp in. Hösten är snart här och skriva det tänkte jag.