Milan AC: Ibrahimovic “Zlatanes” Himself in Italy
AC Milan: Early Champions League Exit Against Feyenoord, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic Targeted as One of the Main Culprits for the Lombard Club’s Poor Season…
The year 2025 had started perfectly for Milan with a victory in the Italian Supercup, following prestigious wins against Juventus and Inter. However, since then, the Milanese club has clearly fallen back into the same struggles that plagued the first half of the season… Despite a change in management, with Sergio Conceicao replacing Paulo Fonseca (who has since bounced back at Lyon), Milan has not truly turned things around in Serie A, currently sitting in seventh place, five points adrift of the Top 4 and the Champions League qualification spots. A Champions League campaign that the Lombard club will no longer participate in this season, as after a defeat against Feyenoord in the first leg of the playoff (0-1), the Italian side failed to overturn the result on Tuesday, managing only a draw at San Siro (1-1).
This elimination has not gone down well in Milan, where the main culprits being singled out are Théo Hernandez, who was foolishly sent off before the hour mark in the second leg, and Sergio Conceicao, who has struggled to find the right formula since his arrival in January. But now, criticism is also being directed at Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Ibrahimovic has failed the first real test of his life.”
According to some media outlets, the former Swedish striker has even failed his first major test at the start of the year. “Zlatan Ibrahimovic has failed the first real test of his life as a manager,“ declared La Repubblica, referencing his statement last September when the former PSG striker claimed he was now the sporting boss at AC Milan. This was to the extent that he played a significant role in the departure of Paulo Fonseca.
After an active winter transfer window, which saw the arrivals of Santiago Gimenez, João Félix, and Kyle Walker, Zlatan believed that Conceicao had “two teams” to achieve his objectives—though this doesn’t seem to align with the Portuguese coach’s perspective… Recently, Ibra had also expressed great ambition for the future: “I want to make a difference, to write history, and Milan is a club that writes history.“ Always the confident figure, the Swedish giant will now have to back up his words, whether by revitalizing Conceicao’s squad or by taking the reins himself of a team that is proving difficult to manage…
