Zlatans new book and Barcelona

Ibra, has some BALLS saying this before Barca vs Milan.
Some SERIOUS Balls.

St_Nick09_of_Goal wrote:Yh, Pep handled it poorly, but it's kinda dumb for him not to openly welcome playing as a false 9, i mean, he is no poacher lol.

I keep in mind that Zlatan and his gigantic ego still "flopped" at Barcelona, for the standards that were expected from him. He was a failure, and he is handling it like a butthurt moron, insulting every one and showing no restraint.

Good post. He flopped and it was expected. TBH this transfer doesn't make sense from sporting reasons at all. Laporta made this deal to exicte Barca fans after Madrid galactico transfers. It turned out to be disaster.

http://hasibrawonchampionsleague.com/

The Franchise wrote:

Lord Spencer wrote:

RealGunner wrote:I highly doubt henry would make fun of pep behind his back.

So you never made fun of teachers, professors, coaches behind their back at all RG. It is not disrespect as much as making fun of an unpleasant situation.

Not to mention that Henry is not a saint, hardly any footballer or human being is a saint, which is why they are so rare.

On topic, at least Ibra wrote this biography himself with his own writing instead of using a ghost writer like most other footballers do. I think his Barca stint really hurt his ego, but anyone who says he was a flop all the way there is not making any sense.

He played great his first months there and only after pep mishandled him did he flop, the coach gets as much of the blame as the player.

And all this mud slinging by barca and anti-barca fans in childish. So fraking what, pep obviously made a mistake in the whole Ibra deal, so he is human. SAF made mistakes and so did Cappello, Sacchi and Mou. Barca fans throwing all the blame on Ibra and absolving pep of the blame are as pathetic as the ones claiming pep is an evil and bad coach for dealing with the situation.

Ibra is a big baby, and there is nor surprise there. He knows people are calling him a flop at Barca and absolving pep from all the blame which is why he always goes out of his way to say that it was not only his fault but pep's as well.

Chicken and egg wrong way round in my opinion.

He started playing badly after a great start individually (though the team suffered as a whole), then Pep removed him, then Ibra had a problem..that was the sequence of events.

That does not change the fact. You remove a player for playing badly and then reintroduce him after talking to him. According to Ibra he was completely ignored. And regardless of what pep did, Ibra did not play up to his standards and it is the coach's responsibility to encourage players to do that. Just as pep gets credit for Messi turning from a great form to a legendary form he should get discredit from failing to tap into Ibra's talent.

The order of matters does not really count, dip in forms are normal for first year players and some coaches fail to handle that in some players, some coaches do. Pep did not, end of story. It does not say pep is a bad coach, which is why some barca fans are defensive about the whole incident.

He was very slow for barca's attack. he was stopping quick attacks. bojan was more useful than him (for barca). Suitable player never sits on the bench. And Pep proved that he was doing right, just next season he won CL without ibrahimovic

The Franchise wrote:

Zealous wrote:Ibra isn't perfect but ultimately it was Pep who paid big bucks to get him. When he came he had no idea what to do with him.

Pep has to raise his hand here and admit he handled the situation poorly.

In the grand scheme of things though it matter little. Pep is still a great coach, but there is no harm in pointing out that what he did here was ill advised.

What did Pep do which was so poor?

He didnt need him anymore and got insulted, why should he reach out to him?

He ignored him for six months, the player he himself wanted for 70 million...

Of course all is fine and dandy because Barca won the league but what if they didn't? Just a thought.

Dont really agree.

First, it wasnt simply Ibra is playing bad and we can bring him back when he picks it up again.

He was a bad fit for the team and the entire team functioned worse with him, that a terminal problem that had to be fixed.

Pep didnt fix it for the Inter first leg and we lost, so he fixed it by removing him and with just Bojan we played much better.

Ibra was completely ignored in terms of?

As a player, he was no longer wanted..in terms of actual communication, after Ibra´s outburst and refusal to play another role why should Pep reach out to him?

This wasnt about Ibraplaying up to his standards. Even when he was, it hindered the team. Pep doesnt have to coax him back into form when we have other player who can help the entire team and not just himself. Pep has a responsibility for the team, not just one player.

Pep can get discredit for failing to get the best out of Ibra? Sure. But every player has their own qualities, the mistake was in choosing him, not failure to get the best out of him.

I dont think many Barca fans are defensive at all. I think people who didnt follow the situation as closely as Barca fans say things which are factually incorrect and/or jump to their own conclusions and of course any fan would be frustrated with that.

Zealous wrote:

The Franchise wrote:

Zealous wrote:Ibra isn't perfect but ultimately it was Pep who paid big bucks to get him. When he came he had no idea what to do with him.

Pep has to raise his hand here and admit he handled the situation poorly.

In the grand scheme of things though it matter little. Pep is still a great coach, but there is no harm in pointing out that what he did here was ill advised.

What did Pep do which was so poor?

He didnt need him anymore and got insulted, why should he reach out to him?

He ignored him for six months, the player he himself wanted for 70 million...

Of course all is fine and dandy because Barca won the league but what if they didn't? Just a thought.

It wasnt by chance we won the league.

Pep changed it, put Bojan in (who happened to catch fire) and we went on to win the league despite that.

Pep deserves credit for that.

He ignored Ibra? According to Ibra, but even if true, then so what? He doesnt need him as a player anymore and he was insulted personally..he has an entire team to worry about, not one invidual who actually isnt needed anymore.

Pep´s fault was buying him in the first place, he chose wrongly. But I dont find a fault with how he handled the situation after that.

The Franchise wrote:Dont really agree.

First, it wasnt simply Ibra is playing bad and we can bring him back when he picks it up again.

He was a bad fit for the team and the entire team functioned worse with him, that a terminal problem that had to be fixed.

Pep didnt fix it for the Inter first leg and we lost, so he fixed it by removing him and with just Bojan we played much better.

Ibra was completely ignored in terms of?

As a player, he was no longer wanted..in terms of actual communication, after Ibra´s outburst and refusal to play another role why should Pep reach out to him?

This wasnt about Ibraplaying up to his standards. Even when he was, it hindered the team. Pep doesnt have to coax him back into form when we have other player who can help the entire team and not just himself. Pep has a responsibility for the team, not just one player.

Pep can get discredit for failing to get the best out of Ibra? Sure. But every player has their own qualities, the mistake was in choosing him, not failure to get the best out of him.

I dont think many Barca fans are defensive at all. I think people who didnt follow the situation as closely as Barca fans say things which are factually incorrect and/or jump to their own conclusions and of course any fan would be frustrated with that.

So Pep either did not know that Ibra's play style is not in sync with Barca's which is a fault of ignorance, or he knew but wanted to experiment anyway which is a fault of ego.

Regardless, Pep made a mistake. Which does not make the man a bad coach in anyway logical.

Also, I think Barca would have still won the CL even with Ibra still playing for them. Ibra is a one track player who only thrives when you build your tactic around him, so it was a huge mistake to buy him if you were not willing to do so. Changing him to the wings or another position would never have worked and he would have performed even worse.

Well them Pep gets the blame for bringing him in the first place.

There's no way out of this Franchise :dance:

“Joining Barcelona was a childhood dream and I was walking on air. It started well but then Messi started to talk,” Ibra, 30-year-old, writes. “He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no longer had the freedom on the pitch I need to succeed.

“So I asked for a meeting with Guardiola – for a discussion, not an argument. I said I was being used in the wrong way and that they shouldn’t have bought me if they wanted another type of player. I told him what a friend had said to me – ‘you bought a Ferrari but drive it like a Fiat’,” the Milan striker adds in his book.

“The chat seemed to go well but then Guardiola started to freeze me out. I would walk into a room; he would leave. He would greet everyone by saying hello, but would ignore me. I had done a lot to adapt – the Barca players were like schoolboys, following the Coach blindly, whereas I was used to asking ‘why?’. I like guys who run red lights, not pedantic and strict rules. I tried to be overly nice, didn’t dare lose my temper.


“But after this I stopped trying to adapt. For example, at Barcelona, players were banned from driving their sports cars to training. I thought this was ridiculous – it was certainly not the club’s business what car I drive – so in April, before a match with Almeria, I drove my Ferrari Enzo to training and it caused a scene.”

The next incident took place after Barcelona’s semi-final exit in the Champions League, as Jose Mourinho’s Inter knocked them out. As reported by various media outlets, this is what Ibra has written of his “conversation” with Pep after the game: “(Guardiola) was staring at me and I lost it. I thought ‘there is my enemy, scratching his bald head’. I yelled to him: ‘you have no balls!’ And probably worse things than that. I added: ‘You are shitting yourself because of [Mourinho]. You can go to hell!’ I was completely mad.

“I threw a box full of training gear across the room, it crashed to the floor and Pep said nothing, just put stuff back in the box. I’m not violent, but if I were Guardiola I would have been frightened.”

Ibra is far from perfect but if that did in fact happen then I sympathise. Seriously saying hello to everyone except him? Why would you do that?

Lord Spencer wrote:

The Franchise wrote:Dont really agree.

First, it wasnt simply Ibra is playing bad and we can bring him back when he picks it up again.

He was a bad fit for the team and the entire team functioned worse with him, that a terminal problem that had to be fixed.

Pep didnt fix it for the Inter first leg and we lost, so he fixed it by removing him and with just Bojan we played much better.

Ibra was completely ignored in terms of?

As a player, he was no longer wanted..in terms of actual communication, after Ibra´s outburst and refusal to play another role why should Pep reach out to him?

This wasnt about Ibraplaying up to his standards. Even when he was, it hindered the team. Pep doesnt have to coax him back into form when we have other player who can help the entire team and not just himself. Pep has a responsibility for the team, not just one player.

Pep can get discredit for failing to get the best out of Ibra? Sure. But every player has their own qualities, the mistake was in choosing him, not failure to get the best out of him.

I dont think many Barca fans are defensive at all. I think people who didnt follow the situation as closely as Barca fans say things which are factually incorrect and/or jump to their own conclusions and of course any fan would be frustrated with that.

So Pep either did not know that Ibra's play style is not in sync with Barca's which is a fault of ignorance, or he knew but wanted to experiment anyway which is a fault of ego.

Regardless, Pep made a mistake. Which does not make the man a bad coach in anyway logical.

Also, I think Barca would have still won the CL even with Ibra still playing for them. Ibra is a one track player who only thrives when you build your tactic around him, so it was a huge mistake to buy him if you were not willing to do so. Changing him to the wings or another position would never have worked and he would have performed even worse.

Yeah, Pep made a mistake in choosing him. Even someone as smart as he (and Cruyff who went along with it) can be wrong. Its not an exact science, especially the case with us and the system we play. Barca fans will admit the mistake in the signing, but as I said, its the lack of facts that would annoy.

I dont think its about knowing about Ibra plays, they knew, they probably just under/overestimated some aspects of his game and how it would mesh. Also, Ibra showed an unwillingless to do certain things to help his chances.

I mostly agree with your last paragraph. I agree Ibra is that sort of player you must build around. However, when you have Messi, you dont build around Ibra.

There was a hope Ibra would fit in,there was a hope he would sacrifice to a degree. I dont think that is too big a assumption considering Ibra´s situation.

He was a great player who had failed in every way to dominate the CL in the important stages (for various reasons, many not his fault) and he was coming to the defending champs. The only thing missing from his legacy is the CL, I dont think its unreasonable to think he would be willing to fit in with all those facts.

Though, I dont think he intentionally didnt fit in. He did try, he just wasnt the right player and that takes nothing away from his ability.

However, his words are borderline stupid because I think he should be able to see it wasnt anyone's fault it didnt work.

Zealous wrote:Ibra is far from perfect but if that did in fact happen then I sympathise. Seriously saying hello to everyone except him? Why would you do that?

And how do we know this is true at all?

Because Ibra said so? And did he even say that?

That's why I said "If that did in fact happen"

Zealous wrote:Well them Pep gets the blame for bringing him in the first place.

There's no way out of this Franchise :dance:

Pep isnt flawless, we already have said he made that mistake in choosing him.

However, Cruyff also thought it was a good idea, so its wasnt a crazy idea. I understood and still understand the logic, but it wasnt to be.

What should of happened was what Pep seemed to do.

He still talks about how great Ibra is, still says how talented he is, there is no need for a big drama. It didnt work out, both parties should be happy with it now.

Zealous wrote:That's why I said "If that did in fact happen"

Yes, I know. But what I am saying is, what is the point of even mentioning it?

One player is saying one thing, Pep isnt saying anything...we wasnt there..so what exactly do we know?

Nothing really, but Ibra seems to feel strongly about this. Something must have happened.

The Franchise wrote:

Zealous wrote:That's why I said "If that did in fact happen"

Yes, I know. But what I am saying is, what is the point of even mentioning it?

One player is saying one thing, Pep isnt saying anything...we wasnt there..so what exactly do we know?

Then you can say that baout anything outside of football tbh.

Schizophrenics feel strongly about seeing things that aren't actually there, Zeal.

Does it mean what they're seeing or saying is true as well since what Ibra evidently feels strongly about is being touted as the alleged truth simply because it's supposed to have come from his own lips?

But Ibra isn't a Schizophrenic.

A schizophrenic sees "them" and hears "them". To him, in a sense, it's "real".

If my boss comes in a meeting room and says hello to everyone individually except me I would think something was wrong.

That's all I'm saying.

My hero i can't wait to read his book

Anyways I think Zlatan started the season off very well. He was looking incredibly promising. I'm not going to take sides right away but i've been following him for nearly his whole career and you can say many things about him but he's usually not a liar, that's for sure. Maybe he's stretching what actually happened or whatever, but I feel he's a truthful person.

You can tell that after his injury, things started to fall apart at Barca for him. Falling out with Pep, being replaced with Messi at CF. Things like this will destroy a player's confidence. Maybe he didn't fit into the system, because I did notice that many times barca played with him, their game slowed down, but, if used properly, he could have been a huge asset to them in the long term imo.

Remember his goal vs Madrid? If he didn't score that, Madrid could have quite possibly won the league that season. I'm not going to blindly side with Ibra and blame Pep 100% just because Ibra's my favorite player+personality, but I do think that had Pep treated him right and utilized him properly, he could have made the system work with Ibra and he'd be banging in the goals non-stop for Barca.

Messi and Ibra looked like they could have linked very well in the long-term, as there were already glimpses of what the partnership could have become.

Lord Hispano wrote:But Ibra isn't a Schizophrenic.

A schizophrenic sees "them" and hears "them". To him, in a sense, it's "real".

Well yeah, but he said "ibra feels strong about this. Something must've happened". Our first reaction to a statement like that would be to accept it and at first I did, then I thought about it. People feel strongly about a lot of things, but we can't always take that at face value. That was my point. Now look at my below quote of Zeal.

Zealous wrote:If my boss comes in a meeting room and says hello to everyone individually except me I would think something was wrong.

That's all I'm saying.

I certainly can agree with that. It's not something that someone would automatically feel strongly about though imo.

Yeah but it seems to be part of various things that made him uncomfortable. I was just using that hello part as an example.

Not really siding with Ibra here, I'm just playing devil's advocate since all the Cules here had no sympathy for him whatsoever.

If there was an English version I would have got that book.



Ibra > Barca

In hindsight, yes Pep made a big and expensive mistake in bringing Ibra to Barca. But he had the balls to fix this mistake (by getting rid of Ibra) as well as possible for the good of the TEAM. And it payed off.

With or without the talking/arguments/freezing out, the result would have been the same, for the benefit of the TEAM, which is Guardiola's first and foremost job.

Whatever was said became of little consequence once Guardiola decided that his solution to improving his team was moving Messi to the centre (whether this was Pep's or Messi's idea again matters little) which implied Ibra was out of a job at Barca.

People should stop being so sensitive about who might have said or done what. This isn't a soap, it isn't a psychological-political thriller. It's football and it's played on the pitch.