"Ibra between bosses, lions, and kittens San Siro is not Sanremo."
That was the headline used by La Gazzetta dello Sport when discussing the RedBird senior advisor.
Lions and kittens. The boss and the others working for him. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the ability to capture the attention of those who listen to him, but sometimes he goes off-topic and out of context.
Yesterday, before the Champions League debut at San Siro, it seemed like he was connected from the Ariston of Sanremo, duetting with Amadeus in one of the successful sketches of the Festival.
Instead, he was at San Siro, just minutes before a match featuring 13 Champions (7 Rossoneri, 6 English) on the pitch of a wonderful stadium. Ibra spoke about the criticism he received for his recent absence from the team:
"When the lion is away, the kittens come closer. When the lion returns, the kittens disappear, and I’m not referring to the team. I’m focused on my work; I left for a few days only for personal reasons. My role is simple: I’m in charge, I’m the boss, and the others work for me. I’ve spoken to the team; they’re charged up and ready.” Not entirely ready, to be honest. But he might not have noticed from a distance.
One cannot expect Zlatan, in his new role, to transform by suppressing his explosive personality. However, the approach should be different. Despite the usual exaggerations from Ibra, the fact remains that he now represents Milan much more than before. As a player, some verbal exuberance was allowed and sometimes even beneficial in the locker room. But bosses, as he says, follow different codes. Zlatan should take his friend Galliani to dinner and listen to him: neither lions nor kittens, but valuable advice.
