Zlatan Ibrahimovic Cannot Validate Current Antics

The enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not make it a secret that he has a unique approach to life. His mindset ripples with hints of arrogance, egotism and cleverness. Some of these traits are difficult to swallow for some onlookers, such as Marseille defender Rod Fanni:

"“I have had the desire to throw a punch at Ibrahimovic more than once. We have said things to each other in English that I can not repeat in public…He is playing a role with his arrogant behaviour and he is doing it very well. They should give him an Oscar for it. He can be very annoying out there on the pitch, but that is a role he is playing. I know some PSG players and they all tell me that he is not really like that.”(via Goal.com)"

But of course, this sort of thing doesn’t seem to concern Zlatan much. Just to recall, he is the man who without flinching once claimed he was Jesus. But besides its minor offence, it is also the common thread that makes him one of Europe’s most entertaining figures.The Swede is unique in many ways and his self-boasting approach which is sometimes frowned upon, is often a part of the characteristics which has made him a favourite. The only problem with it now is that it comes from a hallow place.

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Paris St Germain narrowly seized a 1-0 victory for a Coupe de la Ligue final against OSC Lille on Tuesday. A mighty effort from unlikely candidate Maxwell helped the Capital club prevail. The Swede himself did not do much; in fact he was rather ghostly. Taking many responsibilities in the midfield, often found in positions deeper than he would naturally be placed to cause threat a to the box.

After the drab match in a mixed scrum, Zlatan lead a line of teammates away from eager journalists by stating, in English:

"“Follow me follow me nobody talk”As the journalist filming raised his hand calling the Swedes name repeatedly. The journalist replied: “Why nobody talk?” “Because I am the boss” As the video rolls forward we see a childish smirk overwhelm the face of the talisman. Another journalist, one who was presumed to have insulted Zlatan only days before shouted: “Not even for low budget?” Then with a face which had fallen unimpressed he replied “No respect for journalists”"

Watch it here:

On one hand these journalists are just trying to their jobs. His neglect of that is disrespectful in itself. On the other, it is clear that his distaste becomes reborn when he sees a journalist who offended him in a prior meeting. This sort of thing ruins it for the rest of the journalists who don’t have ill intentions. But athletes remember these things and of course can generalize. Thus, it’s difficult to present this idea and fully blame Zlatan. But as a professional he is in some way obligated; there’s really no reason for it.

Watch the incident here:

Now one thing is for certain. Zlatan may question it, but he does a tremendous job at intimidation. The 33 year old has had an edge his whole career, most of which has evolved from his roots in rough Swedish area Malmö. The talisman uses this against referees, players, teammates coaches, anyone who he feels needs proof. Although Zlatan would argue he needs to prove nothing — Ibrahimovic has always had a deeper need to make sure everyone is aware of his significance.

This is not to say he is insecure or attention deficit. In fact, he’s probably one of the most comfortably confident players in the game. His detachment to needing awards, individual accolades is unmatched compared to some of the of the world’s best strive for perfection. It is this unravelled confidence that is the basis for his tricky business; but in his current form it is hard to be forgiving of the striker. Since the beginning of the 2014/2015 season Zlatan has achieved a shy 9 goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances.

This is compared to his 40 goals in all competitions last year (WhoScored.com) — not to forget his inch of space between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League goal scoring record before the Swede fell to a hamstring injury. How about the fact that according the Guardian UK, the Swede was considered the third best player in the world.

This is a thrilling accolade considering the threshold between one and two will never inhibit anyone other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in modern days. But these are all reminders, they are not current realities. So it continues to reveal that the truth is that Zlatan’s behaviour is not merited when he isn’t playing brilliantly.

Although many fans are willing to forgive the talisman, even for his drab performances, the fact of the matter is his own frustrations for lack of performance should not be expressed in the way we have seen recently. Its disappointing, but in fairness, we know little of the Swede’s ongoing heel injury.

How difficult it is to maintain or control and how much it has really effected his performance. Perhaps Zlatan’s behaviour is also a reflection of how he expresses personal frustration — the list could go on. But his sour attitude surely highlights in a greater light when his performances are not alluring, versus when they are.

One thing is for sure, fans of the capital club won’t stand for weakness much longer, regardless of if they are spoiled or not.

Revons Plus Grand!