Zlatan Ibrahimovic went six games without scoring.
He went six games without scoring and his eulogy was penned.
He played six consecutive league games from when he scored against City at home to when he finally scored almost a full two months later in Swansea, and he played six games in all competitions from his Zorya strike to that double in south Wales without hitting the net too.
To all intents and purposes, most of September and all of October was a write-off for the Swede on the scoring front and, my, how they all lined up to subsequently write him off.
The striker was to blame for the run Mourinho’s men were on.
What the hell is going on?
Most shocking goal drought.
ZLATAN WORRY!
10 games later and those coughs have softened.
10 games later and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stats are simply incredible and his critics have disappeared because they have no right any longer in coming back out from beneath their rocks.
He wasn’t even a world-beater against Sunderland. He should’ve scored more than one, he should’ve scored more than two but it was another match that passed where he was completely integral to the play of United.
When he wasn’t scoring, he was still vital. He was the out ball – high or low – he could hold it up, he could play the rest of them through and he could get in behind himself. All along, he has been absolutely and completely necessary to the team. His general play is why the manager refuses to rest him even for a League Cup game or Europa League match. Even at 35.
On Monday, United welcomed Sunderland to Old Trafford and it was a Christmas gift that simply couldn’t be ballsed up, it seemed. But that’s exactly when those worst days have come for the club the past four seasons.
That’s why Mourinho’s celebrations when they went 2-0 up on Boxing Day were unusually joyful. The manager turned to the crowd when Ibrahimovic scored with his two hands up and he let rip – he hasn’t done that yet as manager of this giant club because he hasn’t been enjoying himself.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic up top, though, he has steered the team to four successive league victories now. And the Swede’s stats for the last 10 games have been simply unbelievable.
Against Sunderland in the 3-1 win for United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic recorded his first two assists of the season and he scored another as well, just for the hell of it.
In the last 10 games in all competitions, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been directly involved in 14 goals for Manchester United.
- He’s scored 11 goals in 10 games.
- He’s assisted 3 times in 10 games.
- He now has 13 goals in the Premier League.
He’s doing alright.
And so are United. They’re doing so because Jose Mourinho didn’t listen to the hyperbolic nonsense when Zlatan hadn’t scored in a few games.
