Zlatan guarantees a Manchester United title challenge

By Blair Newman, Football Whispers

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is once again a Manchester United player. The iconic Swede signed a new one-year deal this week and his presence in the squad is a subtle game-changer, providing many benefits to Jose Mourinho as the Portuguese gears up for a title challenge.

Here our friends at Football Whispers outline why the 35-year-old hitman’s re-signing all but secures United’s position as a Premier League contender for the 2017/18 campaign.

HE BRINGS DEPTH IN ATTACK

Manchester United, being the globally renowned footballing powerhouse that they are, have many ambitions. While the Premier League is their proverbial bread and butter, they will also want a concerted run in the Champions League having returned to Europe’s premier club competition after a short absence.

To compete in two such prestigious and intense tournaments, however, requires serious depth. This is something Mourinho’s attack seemed slightly short of, with Romelu Lukaku’s only genuine alternatives being the inexperienced Marcus Rashford or the inconsistent Anthony Martial.

While both are adequate substitutes, neither are ideal options to lead the line should United’s Belgian scoring sensation be out through injury or suspension. In this respect, the return of Zlatan is absolutely pivotal to the club’s aims for the campaign.

Previously, opposition defences would not have been quite so awestruck were Lukaku unavailable. Now, though, they face the intimidating prospect of marking one of the game’s most renowned finishers.

HE ADDS GUILE UP FRONT

Manchester United’s opening two Premier League fixtures of the season have been stunning demonstrations of the possibilities quality counter-attacking can bring.

In their opener against a disorganised West Ham United, they brutally punished their opposition with scything raids. And in their second game, against Swansea City, they patiently waited for gaps to open up as their Welsh hosts became bolder before ruthlessly exploiting the space available. Both matches ended in 4-0 wins for Mourinho’s men.

However, this will not be the case every weekend. There will be occasions where United will have to break down stout back lines. To do that, they’ll need more than pace and precision on the break. Zlatan can help them in this respect, adding guile to a powerful, athletic and clinical attack.

The Swede’s intelligent movement, outstanding control and technical mastery, as well as his physicality and aerial threat, make him an excellent alternative to play against deeper, more cohesive defences.

Indeed, the vast majority of his goals last term came against more negative opposition – 15 of his 17 Premier League strikes were scored against teams outside the top six.

HE GIVES MOURINHO TACTICAL OPTIONS

Zlatan’s return also means Mourinho has a variety of different strikers to choose from. If he wants to go with an out-and-out striker and pure finisher, Lukaku will be his first choice; if he wants to go for a slightly more dynamic outlet, Rashford will be his first choice. And if he wants more of a central reference point to drag defences and make space for the attacking midfielders, Zlatan will be his go-to guy.

The 35-year-old offers his manager another type of striker, which could prove to be hugely valuable given United will encounter various different styles of play at home and on the continent. The move also opens up the opportunity to experiment with new shapes.

During pre-season, Mourinho toyed with the notion of a 3-5-2 system. In theory it’s the perfect formation for the Portuguese as it ensures numerical superiority in the centre, and can be used to make it difficult for opponents to find space between the lines or to give greater leeway for man-marking.

Now Zlatan has arrived, this system becomes eminently more viable. While Lukaku and Rashford could get in each other’s way with their directness and desire to score goals, the Swede’s willingness to drop off the front line and link up, or act as a target man for long balls, means United now have a potentially high quality striker partnership in the offing.

HE BRINGS LEADERSHIP

Zlatan is still recovering from an injury sustained during Manchester United’s Europa League run last season, but he has been typically bold about his ambitions once back on the pitch.

“When I come back I don’t want to be something I wasn’t,” he said. “I want to be the one I was and even better. So it means I have to train even harder.”

This mentality is undoubtedly what has underpinned a successful career, one that has seen the striker win 11 league titles with five different clubs in four different countries and almost single-handedly lead his country at major international tournaments.

Mourinho is excited about the player’s return, saying: “We are delighted Zlatan is on the road to recovery and we are equally delighted to have his ambition and experience back with us. I have no doubt that he will be important in the second part of the season.”

That the Manchester United boss highlighted the ‘second part of the season’ was telling. This is not only down to the Swedish frontman’s expected recovery time, but to the belief that the club will be competing for several major honours as the campaign reaches its latter stages. At that point, Zlatan’s knowledge and influence could be vital.