Zlatan: "We would have won if it hadn't been for certain people"

PSG's Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken the opportunity to have another pop at his former coach at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, ahead of the Champions League clash between the sides in Paris on Tuesday. In an interview with Canal + France, he remembered how Barcelona had the "best team in the world" in 2009-10 and that the side failed to win the Champions League because "of the bad decisions made by certain people," in clear reference to Guardiola.

"If I win the Champions League I will be very happy. It will be incredible. Although if we don't, it won't be a failure," he said during the interview. "We are still learning, we keep taking steps in the right direction every year and we have gained experience. We have been in the quarter-finals twice and this season I'm convinced we'll go even further."

Ibrahimovic's Barcelona career lasted just the single season. Accustomed to being the star at his previous clubs and being the main attraction, Ibrahimovic arrived when Leo Messi was at his imperious best and with a midfield that went on to guide the Spanish national team to the 2010 World Cup. Even so, Barça were knocked out of the Champions League in the last four by his former team, Inter Milan, who were coached by José Mourinho.

Ibrahimovic has made little effort to disguise his scorn for Guardiola, and reserved special attention for the current Bayern Munich manager in his autobiography: "He reminds me of Gandhi"; "He is a coward, not a man"; "I called him The Philosopher"; and, during a dressing room row recounted in his book: "I told him he had no balls and was shitting himself in front of Mourinho."

On the other hand, Ibrahimovic said it would "special" to play against his former teammates. "Playing against Barcelona is a special moment for me. I enjoyed my season there and learned a lot on and off the pitch." However, the PSG talisman has been ruled out of the encounter due to a heel injury that has sidelined him for the past couple of weeks.

As concerns Tuesday's match, the Swede declared: "It will be a good experience for us, a big challenge, and I think we are ready for it."

from Últimas noticias | Diario AS http://as.com/diarioas/2014/09/29/english/1411998000_039575.html

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