Ibrahimovic saved Milan once before, can he do it again?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now returned to Milan for a second time. The first time, he helped guide them to a Scudetto, so can he help restore a winning mentality again?

The former striker’s return was officially confirmed by the Rossoneri today, with owners RedBird releasing an official statement where they detailed his new role and explained his duties across various elements of the club.

He was named an Operating Partner at RedBird and Senior Advisor to Ownership at Milan, and his responsibilities include player development, training work, advancing the club’s brand and supporting new strategic projects.

Read more – Official: Ibrahimovic’s duties at Milan revealed

Ibrahimovic’s return to Milan couldn’t have come at a better time. Pressure is continuing to mount on Stefano Pioli and news reports are now starting to claim that the coming Champions League clash with Newcastle United could be decisive for the coach’s future at the club.

It’s fair to say that the Rossoneri haven’t been in the best of form this term. In the league, the team sit nine points behind league leaders Inter after 15 games, and in the Champions League Pioli’s squad are bottom of their group with a slim chance of reaching the Round of 16.

In an amusing twist of fate, Ibrahimovic’s two returns to Milan have both come following a painful defeat to Atalanta. Back in the 2019-20 season, the club lost to la Dea 5-0 in late December and the Swede put pen to paper less than a fortnight later.

The former striker’s second spell at the Rossoneri was a huge success. His return was clearly a short-term solution and it paid off far more than initially expected, with the Swede building a winning mentality in the dressing room and helping guide them to the Scudetto in his first full season.

Ibrahimovic essentially brought an early end to his playing career for Milan, fighting through a persistent knee injury in the 2021-22 season to help them win the Serie A title for the first time in over a decade.

Now things are different. The title-winning Rossoneri side, with the Swedish striker in the dressing room, had an impressively resilient winning mentality, something that is clearly lacking in recent months.

Milan may have reached the Champions League semi-final last season, but at this point it seems as if the team has only regressed under Pioli since their Scudetto success, struggling for ideas more elaborate than ‘focus on the left side’, hoping to exploit the qualities of star duo Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao.

The Rossoneri’s injury crisis this campaign has only exacerbated matters, showing the coach’s struggles at adapting under pressure and finding the right solutions despite the circumstances, something his counterparts like Simone Inzaghi and Massimiliano Allegri do far better.

Now, after another disappointing loss to Atalanta, Ibrahimovic is back again, ready to play an active role with both on and off pitch matters, acting as a key figure for the players as well as an important figure in commercial arenas.

The former striker’s second return differs from his last in another way too – it’s not just a short-term solution. With Pioli likely to depart in the coming months, if not now then in the summer, Ibrahimovic will be able to stick close to the players and guide them through the choppy waters ahead.

Recent reports have suggested that a mid-season dismissal of Pioli would see him replaced by Primavera coach Ignazio Abate, who’d be able to work his old teammate to steady the ship and see out the campaign in a positive fashion.

This would be a risk, but it would allow Gerry Cardinale and RedBird to find a sufficient replacement rather than rushing to find an alternative, like Napoli’s handling of Rudi Garcia’s dismissal and Walter Mazzarri’s arrival.

Regardless, it’s clear that Ibrahimovic can give a key boost to Milan when they need it most, even if it’s come a little too late to change Pioli’s fortunes in the dugout.

Finally, there’s the Paolo Maldini factor. The legendary ex-defender was a crucial figure at the club during his five-year spell from 2018 to this summer, driving their direction and playing an important role in the transfer market.

His shock dismissal in June and lack of true replacement has had a noticeable effect on Milan, but it was instantly apparent that Cardinale wanted his own people in the backroom, and now he’s found his Maldini figure with Ibrahimovic.  

Now it’s up to Ibrahimovic to show his backroom influence in red and black to help them return to the top, an entirely different skill set to his work on the pitch but one he’s already started to develop in recent years.

Words: @ApolloHeyes