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Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s main weakness revealed ahead of Man United’s clash with Chelsea
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC drops too deep for Manchester United.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 5 things you need to know
That is the honest assessment of former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler.
Ibrahimovic has seen the goals dry up as of late, netting just once in United’s last five Premier League games.
The Swede, who joined United on a free in the summer, is expected to start against Chelsea tomorrow at Stamford Bridge (4pm), in what will be Jose Mourinho’s first return since being sacked by Roman Abramovich last December.
Fowler reckons the showdown will represent a straight shoot-out between Ibrahimovic and Diego Costa.
However, he has also identified a fundamental flaw in Ibrahimovic’s game.
“Ibra is still a good player, don’t get me wrong, but he’s obviously not as good as he was and that is absolutely a natural occurrence,” Fowler wrote in his column for the Sunday Mirror.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (right) is expected to start against Chelsea
Diego Costa has been in form for Chelsea
"It’s all part of getting older. You just become less dynamic, less threatening in the role at the sharp end, so you want to drift to find a bit of space.
“I’m not saying he’s coasting, or just playing out his time at Old Trafford now, but for me, he drops too deep for their style of play.
“It’s tough being a striker these days. When I started the formation always allowed two up, with one striker supporting the other, allowing many different types of forwards.
“Now, the formations dictate the style and not the other way round, which makes it much harder.
“You have to lead the line, be tenacious, incredibly hard working, find space, hold the ball, be creative AND score goals.”
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