Barcelona striker Ibrahimovic: In Italy, they aren’t interested in good football

Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has defended his lack of goals, insisting it was easier to score in Serie A.

He finished Capocannoniere in his final season with Inter Milan, scoring 25 goals in 35 games in Serie A.

Speaking to El Periodico, Ibrahimovic said: “In Italy they give you three or four chances in one game and you have to be ready not to make a mistake.

“You can go 80 minutes without touching the ball, but you know that in the end a chance will arrive. And you can't miss it because they will judge you on that chance. For this reason, Italians hold strikers like Inzaghi and Trezeguet in high regard because they are people capable of scoring with only one goal scoring chance.”

Ibrahimovic then reflected on the differences between Italy and Spain.

“Here at Barca it seems like I have returned to the time I spent with Ajax. In Italy, they aren't interested in good football.

“They only need a 1-0. Nothing else counts other than the victory. And if someone thinks about playing good football, they tell you: 'Yes, you have played well, but you haven't won anything, right?'

“Good football doesn't count for anything to them. If you won 1-0 at Ajax then the fans would whistle you. 'How is it possible?' I asked myself. Because the people want good football. They want a spectacle.

“In Italy they wanted to imitate the Guardiola model, but it's not so easy. He thinks like a player. He is very active. He participates a lot in training. In the past I had Coaches who were more passive, people more used to commanding than explaining things.

“Pep is not a policeman who gives orders, a dictator who imposes duties. He is more of a professor who instructs. Capello, Mancini and Mourinho weren't so active. Capello and Mourinho explain things to you with a blackboard. Pep goes on the pitch. He was a great player and he knows what a footballer is thinking. He lives for football, 24 hours a day.”