THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONACO — Zlatan Ibrahimovic has helped Barcelona win two trophies in his first two competitive matches for the European champion.
But the Catalan club’s big off-season signing from Inter Milan is still looking for match fitness and his first goal after Friday’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said the Sweden international would need time to adapt to his new team after missing pre-season preparations to have surgery on his left hand.
“Ibrahimovic is such a good player he will manage to fit into our system,” Guardiola said.
“Right now we have a little problem because he didn’t train too much because of the injury. He needs a little time to train more and play games.”
Lacking sharpness against Shakhtar, Ibrahimovic unselfishly tried to find Lionel Messi with a pass when threatening the Ukrainians’ goal in the first half.
He was more purposeful in the second period and drew a save from ‘keeper Andriy Pyatov with a low shot, when teammate Thierry Henry was overlapping in space to his left. The Frenchman was not slow to let his frustration show.
Ibrahimovic’s only other effort on goal sliced high, wide and halfway to Milan before he was replaced in the 81st minute by Pedro Rodriguez, the youngster whose goal five minutes from the end of extra time decided the match.
However, the 27-year-old striker offered clear signs that his partnership with Messi — the classic pairing of a big and little guy, both with exquisite touch on the ball — is going to be fruitful.
On his competitive debut last Sunday Ibrahimovic set up the gifted Argentine to open the scoring in a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, sealing a 5-1 aggregate win to claim the Spanish Super Cup.
The six-foot-four Ibrahimovic is accustomed to firing his team toward honours. He won two Dutch championships with Ajax and helped Inter win its last three straight Serie A titles.
His 25 league goals last season tempted Barcelona to make a blockbuster deal that was almost cast in shadow this off-season by rival Real Madrid’s towering twin purchases of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.
Ibrahimovic arrived at the Camp Nou last month in an unusual exchange of star strikers with Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o plus 46 million euros (C$71.8 million) heading the other way to the San Siro.
Barca midfielder Seydou Keita said the new recruit offers a more physical dimension.
“Samuel is a lot different to Ibrahimovic, who is big, and can hold the ball up on the long balls. We didn’t have that before,” Keita said.
“But you need to give him time to adapt because he’s just come back from injury and it hasn’t been easy for him. But I’m not worried because he’s a really great player.”
Guardiola is confident the quality of the players surrounding Ibrahimovic will ease his transition to the Barcelona way of winning in style — starting at home to Sporting Gijon on Monday to begin the defence of its La Liga title.
“His teammates are good people and are going to help him as soon as possible,” Guardiola said. “(Ibrahimovic) is going to stay with us for many, many years.”