Ibrahimovic and Mandzukic are only fate, unlike Pep Guardiola

Mario Mandzukic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will cross paths for the first time with the Croatian’s arrival in Milan. Before now, the two strikers, despite wandering through the top European clubs, were not teammates and faced each other only as competitors. There is a point in common between the two though: They both had a relationship with the fifty-year-old Pep Guardiola and both hate him.

Ibra and Guardiola match in Barcelona time

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s differences with Tiki-Taka’s father go back to the 2009/10 season when the Swede arrived in Barcelona in an exchange that instead brought Samuel Eto’o to Inter Jose Mourinho, who that season won a hat-trick by knocking out. blaugrana in the Champions League semi-finals. The Swedish striker was unable to settle in the Catalan locker room and the tactical and behavioral dictates imposed by Pep Guardiola. From this arose an unresolved conflict that led to the Malmö champions leaving Barcelona just 12 months after his arrival.

Zlatan’s attack on Pep: “lead in front of Mourinho”

To tell some background about the tumultuous relationship with the current manager of Manchester City was Zlatan Ibrahimovic himself describing in his biography this dressing room as a place everyone was forced to obey (starting with Senators Messi, Xavi and Iniesta), where no one breathed, no one could. He argues, and where the players who toured Ferrari were not welcomed as everyone was invited to keep an eye. Thus, the environment is not very favorable to the prolific character of the Swedish striker who also reveals in the same biography one of his last revolts against what he called a “philosopher”, Pep Guardiola: “You are without balls. You’re doing it from below in front of Mourinho, get it wrong …!The words that Show was directing to the Barcelona coach at the time in one of his last conversations with him.

Mandzukic turns away from Bayern Munich because of Guardiola’s mistake

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hatred for Pep Guardiola will soon find a supporter in his future Milan teammate Mario Mandzukic, and certainly not a supporter of the Catalan coach. Even for the Croatian, the only year he spent under the orders of Maestro Santpedor, in this case at Bayern Munich in the 2013/2014 season, was a very difficult year with a footballing and human relationship that never blossomed, which actually led to his farewell from the heart of the striker who said at the end of it. Season Farewell to the Bavarian team to move to Spain in Atletico Madrid.

“You have just arrived Mandzukic told us a few years later that he had talked about his only year at Pep Guardiola Stadium –I realized nothing would be the same and my time at Bayern Munich was coming to an end. I tried to adapt, but it was clear that I had no future. So I gave up leaving the club and took the time to choose my destination“.

Croatian: “He didn’t even respect me for coffee with him”

Like his future colleague Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Mandzukic made no secret of his hatred for the Catalan coach:Guardiola disappointed me – The Croatian said about it at the end of his only experience with the Spanish coach. He decided not to let me play in the German Cup Final, then he didn’t want me to be the top scorer in the German League, so he didn’t allow me to play until the end of the season. It wasn’t really important to me, but I saw it as disrespectful.

It would have made more sense – After that, the former Juventus player went to join Milan with Stefano Pioli – If he tells me I’m not a part of his philosophy. But no: I did not deserve such treatment after giving everything the past two years to Bayern Munich. Coffee with him – He finally concluded by summarizing his view on Guardiola –? It will never happen. If I feel a negative energy towards someone, try to avoid that person“.

Ibrahimovi and Mandzukic in Milan for the first time as teammates

Although there are few points of contact between the two veterans who will be teammates in Milan, so it appears that they have found a common point from which to start: an aversion to Pep Guardiola and his methods, his philosophy and football, luckily for them, very far from those he set forth. Stefano Pioli, the coach who will have to live on the field and in the locker room in Milan, are two strong personalities like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Mandzukic.