MX23RW : Sunday, February 16 20:18:37| >> :60:2964:2964:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 'Pep Guardiola was immature with me'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic describes Pep Guardiola as the "most immature" coach of his career after their falling-out at Barcelona.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has described Pep Guardiola as the "most immature" coach of his career after their falling-out during the forward's time at Barcelona during the 2009-10 season.

Ibrahimovic ended his one campaign at Camp Nou with 21 goals to his name, but the majority of those strikes came during the first half of the season before the Swedish forward questioned his boss's use of Lionel Messi.

Guardiola promptly dropped Ibrahimovic before loaning him to AC Milan, and the veteran striker has suggested that his former boss would not entertain any communication with him.

The 36-year-old told Sky Sports Italia: "I'd scored a lot of goals in my first six months and we won two Super Cups. The first six months were perfect. After that, we changed system and tactics, and it wasn't good for me, so the club told me to talk to Guardiola.

"I told Guardiola that he'd sacrificed the other players for Messi. He told me he understood me. After that, he put me on the bench for the next game, the one after that and the one after that, And I thought, 'he's solved the problem very well I see!' After that, he didn't talk to me or even look at me.

"I'd walk into a room and he'd walk out. I'd go to meet him and he'd go somewhere else. I understood that there was something beyond football. He'd already judged me then, but if you don't know a person then you can't judge them. I had my experience with him, I don't know about others."

"But I read the same thing had happened to Mandzukic and Eto'o. He wasn't the worst coach I'd worked under, but he was certainly the most immature because a man solves his problems."

Ibrahimovic was speaking days after Manchester United succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, with a fracas taking place in the tunnel after the game.

ID:313988: cacheID:313988:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3183:
Written by
Darren Plant
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives the thumbs-up ahead of the Premier League game between Manchester United and Newcastle United on November 18, 2017
Read Next:
Ibrahimovic 'mocked by Man City staff'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool25186160243660
2Arsenal25158251222953
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest25145641291247
4Manchester CityMan City25135752351744
5Bournemouth25127644291543
6Chelsea25127647341343
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2512584233941
8Fulham2510963833539
9Aston Villa2510873538-338
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2591063838037
11Brentford25104114342134
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs25931349371230
13Crystal Palace257992932-330
14Everton257992731-430
15Manchester UnitedMan Utd2585122835-729
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2576122947-1827
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2554163554-1919
18Ipswich TownIpswich2538142350-2717
19Leicester CityLeicester2545162555-3017
20Southampton2523201957-389


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!