Ibra Quickly Setting the Premier League Alight After United Arrival

If any player could have trumped Manchester United in the race to announce a transfer, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede confirmed his move to Old Trafford with an Instagram post before the club, with the striker living up to his box office billing. While the deal for Paul Pogba eventually overshadowed the Swede’s arrival, that move inadvertently announced prematurely by Stormzy, if anything that allowed Ibrahimovic the chance to properly get up to speed with his new teammates. 

Upon his United switch, English football fans were discussing how effective the experienced frontman would be in the Premier League. As has been well documented, Ibrahimovic has struggled against English opposition in the past. His displays against Manchester City for PSG in the Champions League last season were disappointing to say the least. Many were quick to jump on the “fraud” bandwagon and rashly suggested that Ibrahimovic would flop in England’s top tier.

The majority of critics, however, have quickly been forced to tuck into a slice of humble pie with Ibrahimovic unsurprisingly adjusting to Premier League football with consummate ease, as he acknowledged with another Instagram post claiming those that previously criticised him have now become his latest fans. Indeed, his WhoScored rating (8.29) is among the best in the division after the opening two games of the season. No player has scored more goals in England’s top tier this term than the charismatic frontman (3), while he headed in the crucial winner in the Community Shield victory over Leicester in the Premier League’s curtain raiser. 

Importantly, though, is that Ibrahimovic, like manager Jose Mourinho, carries with him the winning mentality that is crucial to a United outfit looking to re-establish themselves as the dominant side in England. In fact, the striker has lost fewer league games since the 2006/07 season (26) than Aston Villa last campaign (27). While Louis van Gaal had something of a defeatist attitude, insisting that a top-4 finish was an accomplishment for the club, Mourinho has opted an approach synonymous with United fans: be the best. Given the stature of United, they’re a team that should be challenging for domestic honours every season rather than accepting regular Champions League football as an achievement. 

In Ibrahimovic, United are hoping his winning mentality rubs off on the rest of the squad. With the Swede leading from the front, the club have the ideal frontman to maximise his qualities in the final third. Considering his size and physical prowess, Ibrahimovic is the ideal striker to operate as the lone frontman in Mourinho’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. Here he can either drop deeper to assist in the build up play or work to hold off opposition defenders for teammates to make runs in behind and ease pressure on the United goal. 

With the personnel at Mourinho’s disposal, United are particularly benefitting from Ibrahimovic's ability to hold up play. Anthony Martial often drifts inside from the left and Juan Mata from the right to free up space for Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia to provide the width from deep. With Ibrahimovic dropping deeper, Martial, Mata and Wayne Rooney are able to capitalise on the space that is opened up when the striker drags defenders out of position. 

Furthermore, with Mourinho insisting that full-backs Shaw and Valencia maraud up the flanks, the pair are able to put the ball into the box for Ibrahimovic to maximise his heading ability. Indeed, this was the case when he towered over Wes Morgan to head Valencia’s cross past Kasper Schmeichel to secure the Community Shield earlier this month and also in their win over Southampton, although it was Rooney's cross from wide on that occasion. Given Ibrahimovic is working under a manager he has routinely spoken highly of, it perhaps comes as little surprise that he has hit the ground running on the back of his arrival from PSG this summer. 

That he’s quickly established himself as the club’s primary penalty taker further emphasises just how much faith Mourinho has in Ibrahimovic, despite last season’s regular taker Rooney and his backup Mata both still on the pitch when he slotted past Fraser Forster from the spot in Friday’s 2-0 win over Southampton. All in all, nobody was going to question Ibrahimovic penalty taking responsibilities, but it further highlights just how much influence he carries in the dressing room, despite only officially moving to Old Trafford last month. 

Despite his age, Mourinho is clearly centering his attack around Ibrahimovic and, as his performances in a United shirt show, it’s an approach that is having the desired effect. While this has limited Marcus Rashford’s first team minutes, the short term aim is to bring about early success, which Mourinho is ideal for. In that regard he has the perfect player in Ibrahimovic, who has won the domestic title in 11 of his last 12 seasons, albeit two of which were revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal. His excellent start to life in England has not only silenced his doubters, but Ibrahimovic has put United on course to end their four-year wait for the Premier League title.

Can Ibrahimovic fire United to Premier League glory this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below