When Milan’s mentality collapsed like a paper airplane under
a car tire under Giampaolo’s three month tenure at Milan, everyone in
management conceded that there was a need for at least one or two more
experienced players, players that could make the difference and help the
younger players keep their heads up under pressure. Since Zlatan Ibrahimovic
left, he has been linked with a return to Milan. But the question is, can he,
or another player like him, really make the difference this team needs to make
it back to winning ways?
 |
| He is a god to the fans of Milan |
Ibra has never made it a secret how much he and his family
loved AC Milan and the city of Milano, and him being out of contract just fuels
speculation that much more. Then the other day in an interview, he said, “I will join a club that must get back to
winning and renew its history. I’ll see you in Italy soon.” While he is also linked to clubs like
Bologna and Napoli, to which that statement could also apply, his words
certainly caused a stir amongst Milan fans as well.
There is always a chance that he or someone like him could
come to Milan to give a hand, and be injured or play poorly. Who could forget
David Beckham’s loan spell to Milan which saw him injured just a couple of
months in and took him out not only of Milan competitions, but also what would
have been his last World Cup. Ibra specifically would need to overcome the
Milan curse of players who are successful, then come back to Milan and are not, such as Sheva and Kaká.
 |
| Never look back |
There is also the question of why everyone is putting their
hopes on a single player. While Ibra is not and has never been just any player,
we cannot forget to support the manager and the rest of the squad. Given all of
the hysteria surrounding Milan of late, it would be terrible if everyone were
to put all of their faith in him. Then if something disastrous happened, the
rancor starts back up again, blaming everyone else if it doesn’t work out.
Obviously as a marketing move alone, Ibra to Milan makes
sense. And it would be some interesting closure for the seven and a half year
period in between his last appearance for Milan. Having been pushed out of
Milan for money reasons, and watching Milan’s downward spiral since then,
signing him would bring some healing to Milan fans and an indication that
management really do want to make things right again.
 |
| He could carry the team on his back literally and metaphorically. But can he still? |
Speaking of management, there were rumors that Ibra had been
linked to a return this past January, but Gazidis had vetoed the move. Whether
or not that was true, after Giampaolo was sacked, Gazidis conceded that we
needed to bring in more experience. This was a divergence from the previous
plan of a very young, talented squad of players who would work for low wages.
We all know that if Ibra comes to Milan, it won’t be cheap. However, if
management are able to successfully negotiate with Mino Raiola for Ibra, it
also gives hope for their negotiations of contract renewals with Gianluigi
Donnarumma, Romagnoli, and Bonaventura.
Ibra returning to Milan would heal a lot of wounds and bring
a lot of hope back to Milan. He would also bring a lot of fans back. He would
be a risk, and an expensive one at that. But bringing in a player like him
would be a mental gamechanger. Bringing Ibra himself in would be a complete
gamechanger, on and off the pitch. Never underestimate the Ibra factor.
This post inspired by Elias featuring
Frans’ “Who’s Da Man”
Our next match is
Serie A Week 15
Bologna vs. Milan
Sunday, December 8
• 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)