Ibrahimovic injured - MU has a wide open door to win Europa League?

(Baonghean.vn)- If viewed from an idealistic perspective, Ibrahimovic's injury could be a "death blow" for the Old Trafford team in the European Cup arena.

Considered the Midas king in football, Ibrahimovic immediately won the championship whenever he joined a team. From Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, Inter Milan (2 terms), AC Milan, Barcelona, ​​PSG and now MU, the striker born in 1981 has always contributed greatly to the trophies won by his home teams.

Even in Italy, Zlatan is nicknamed “Mr. Scudetto”. But don’t forget, all of those are domestic titles. In the European arena (Champions League and Europa League), Ibrahimovic is still empty-handed.

Ibrahimovic won the English League Cup, his second title with MU so far. Photo: Internet

Surely, the 36-year-old striker is extremely disappointed with the injury he just suffered. If the initial diagnosis of the MU medical department is correct, this year's season will end early for Ibra. In the 2016/2017 Premier League, MU no longer has a chance to win the championship. All that remains is the Europa League title, where the Old Trafford team is present in the semi-finals.

That means, MU only needs to overcome 2 out of 3 opponents that are not highly rated including Lyon, Celta Vigo, Ajax, then Ibra will hold in his hands the prestigious trophy after the Champions League. Obviously, Zlatan has reason to be sad when thinking about that.

But for MU fans, especially those who are idealistic, Ibrahimovic's absence until the end of this season is a good thing. In the past, the Swedish striker was a player who was always unlucky in continental tournaments.

Throughout the long journey, there were 2 times that clearly marked that, in the colors of Inter Milan and Barcelona. Specifically: After winning the 2008 - 2009 Champions League, Barcelona made a sensational transfer when spending 46 million euros and adding Eto'o to Inter Milan in exchange for Ibrahimovic's service.

Playing alongside the world's top superstars such as Messi, Xavi, Iniesta... Ibrahimovic immediately showed his class. The only goal that helped Barcelona win against Real Madrid in the El Clasico match was a clear demonstration of the Swedish striker's talent.

At the end of La Liga 2009 - 2010, Ibrahimovic scored 16 goals, contributing greatly to Barcelona's championship. In the context of just having his first season at Camp Nou, along with disagreements with Pep Guardiola and some of the team's pillars, the achievement of 16 goals was quite an impressive number.

One of Ibrahimovic's sad memories in the European arena was when he played for Barcelona. Photo: Internet

It is worth mentioning that in the Champions League arena, Ibrahimovic still has not proven much. Apart from a double against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the quarter-finals, what the former Inter Milan player has done is extremely disappointing.

The clearest example is in the two semi-final matches between Barcelona and his former team Inter Milan, Ibrahimovic played below his best, contributing to his team's unfortunate elimination. Ironically, that season Inter Milan became the Champions League champions.

Unable to stay at Camp Nou, Ibrahimovic returned to Italy to join AC Milan and together with the red and black striped team won the SERIE A title in his first season at San Siro. Ironically, in the same 2010-2011 season, Barcelona won the Champions League.

Fate really plays a joke on Ibrahimovic. After leaving the "land of pasta", the striker born in 1981 decided to join PSG. Ibrahimovic's presence helped the "rich French guy" win all the titles in the domestic league. In the European arena, PSG is still just a "lamb" and nothing more.

With the injury he just suffered, Ibrahimovic will likely miss the rest of the season. Photo: Internet

Mentioning such things to see that Ibrahimovic missing the rest of the season due to injury is more of a blessing than a worry for MU fans. Without the former PSG player in the squad, Ibrahimovic's bad luck in the European Cup will not "haunt" Mourinho and his team in the Europa League this year. And what the Europa League title means to the Old Trafford team is not worth discussing.

Simply put, whether MU can participate in the 2017/2018 Champions League or not depends almost entirely on this season's Europa League, because a position in the TOP 4 of the 2016/2017 Premier League is really too difficult for Mourinho and his students.

In terms of pure expertise, the absence of a striker who has scored a total of 28 goals and 5 assists in all competitions like Ibrahimovic is a huge loss for MU's strength. If considered from an idealistic perspective, Ibrahimovic's injury could be a "re-death experience" for the Old Trafford team in the European Cup arena./.

Thanh Hung