Why Juventus must not pass up opportunity to re-sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic

COMMENTBy Kris VoakesOn Sunday afternoon, Juventus could well become champions of Italy for the 29th time. They did that once before. Back in 2006, a 2-0 victory over Reggina at Bari's Stadio San Nicola crowned them for the 29th time, only for the Calciopoli trials to strip them of that title and the one they had won the year before. One of the Juve players back then was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Left devastated by the insinuation that he had become a double Scudetto winner through foul means rather than sheer effort, the Swede immediately lambasted the findings of the courts. “Referees did us favours? Oh come on!” michael kors bag Outlet online raged Ibrahimovic. “We fought hard on the pitch. We risked our legs and did it all without any help from referees. It’s all a load of crap.”But weeks later, he was to be an Inter player. Like so many others in the Turin outfit's first-team squad, Serie B was not what he had planned for his future, but his decision to sign for the club that Juventini were fingering as the dark enemy of the scandal caused a furore amongst the fan-base. Ibrahimovic had decided to take a dispassionate, professional approach to the transfer and, not being one to care much about making his way into a few people’s bad books, he got on with his career.Now, with the Bianconeri on the verge of a 31st title party, the Swede’s name is looming large once more. Recent reports have suggested there is a willingness on both the club and the player’s part for a reunion, with Ibra’s agent, Mino Raiola, stating that a move back to Turin is definitely a consideration for his player.The main opposition to the move, though, would come from the terraces at Juventus Stadium. Having seen players such as Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved strengthen their positions as club legends by agreeing to stay on through their Serie B ordeal, many Bianconeri supporters say they would find it difficult to cheer on a Juventus side with Ibrahimovic back in tow."Referees did us favours? Oh come on! We fought hard on the pitch. We risked our legs and did it all without any help from referees. It's all a load of crap"- Zlatan Ibrahimovic on CalciopoliYet the truth is that the Paris Saint-Germain spearhead is exactly the type of player they need. For the last two seasons, the only thing that has held them back from becoming a great all-round unit has been their difficulties in attack. Alessandro Matri, Mirko Vucinic, Sebastian Giovinco and Fabio Quagliarella have all been ineffective in front of goal for the most part, while moves for the likes of Marco Borriello, Nicklas Bendtner and Nicolas Anelka have borne predictably disappointing returns.In Ibrahimovic they would be signing somebody who is still producing to a very high level, has a huge amount of experience combined with a magnificent array of skill, power, attitude and authority and, most importantly, is a winner. While many ignoramuses claim him to be a big-game bottler, he has a record which stands up to pretty much any level of scrutiny.Yes, there are political reasons not to sign Ibra. Yes, he may command a fair old wage packet. And yes, he is 31 now. But he continues to produce, he continues to be one of the best finishers in the world, he continues to bully opposition defences no matter what their level, and he continues to be exactly the sort of player that Juve michael kors Outlet have missed over the past two years.It may take a bit of swallowing for Juventus fans, but just as Ibrahimovic was professional about doing what was best for his career back in 2006, now is the time for those that populate the curve each week to be professional and think about what is best for their club over the next few years. The likes of Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski et al would come at a much higher premium, while Fernando Llorente will arrive in the summer without Ibra’s kind of track record. Some may see taking back the Swede seven years after he shunned them as a loss of pride, but pride generally comes before a fall.If Juventus are to become serious challengers in Europe once more, then they should have nothing in their armoury bar a steely determination to succeed. And by allowing Ibrahimovic the chance to come back and win more trophies that cannot be tainted or questioned, then they could yet reach even greater heights than those they have achieved over the past two years.Follow Kris Voakes on louis vuitton Outlet

Why Jose Mourinho failed to bring La Decima to Real Madrid

ANALYSISBy Ben Hayward at the Santiago BernabeuThe atmosphere was electric. Real Madrid left it late and were ultimately unable to claim an all-important third goal needed to defeat Dortmund on Tuesday and advance to next month's Champions League final at Wembley. For the third year in a row, Jose Mourinho's men fell at the penultimate hurdle and, as the Portuguese prepares for a future far away from Spain, Madrid fans were left wondering what might have been by Tuesday's gallant effort.Mourinho likes to leave the fans wanting more. At all of his previous clubs, he had departed at the peak of his powers, amid a mixture of affection and anger at the prospect of life under another coach. But that has not been quite the case at Madrid. The Portuguese told ITV on Tuesday night. "I love to be somewhere people love me to be." It was the clearest indication yet that his future lies elsewhere this summer, while Goal.com confirmed on Wednesday that he had agreed a return to Chelsea this summer.But maybe Madrid will end up missing Mourinho too. As a group of Madridistas shuffled into a cafe in the city's centre on Wednesday morning to end their night as a new day began, the talk turned to the 50-year-old coach. "Did you see what Mourinho said last night?" asked one of the fans in disbelief. "He said that we don't love him enough... Unbelievable. Everyone loves him."MOURINHO'S EUROPEAN EXITSSEMI-FINAL 2010-11Real Madrid0-2BarcelonaBarcelona1-1Real MadirdSEMI-FINAL 2011-12Bayern Munich2-1Real MadridReal Madrid2-1Bayern MunichSEMI-FINAL 2012-13Dortmund4-1Real MadridReal Madrid2-0DortmundThat may not have been a wholly michael kors Outlet accurate appraisal of the Portuguese's situation at Madrid as this term has seen the former Chelsea and Inter boss both cheered and jeered at the Bernabeu, with many other fans preferring to keep quiet altogether when his name is announced on the tannoy.There was no such silence on Tuesday, though. Nor negativity. Madrid fans realised that this was a night on which they needed to support their side fully - and they did just that. In fact, even though the final result was insufficient, pride was restored and many observers commented that the team had played an heroic match true to the club's values. Not something heard too often when it comes to Mourinho's Madrid.On the whole, Mourinho's spell in Spain has been successful. The Portuguese has claimed one Liga title, a Copa del Rey (with the possibility of a second to come) and a Spanish Supercopa, while closing the gap on the best-ever Barcelona side and also restoring Madrid to their rightful place among Europe's elite.Three successive semi-finals in the continent's premier club competition may seem normal now, but Madrid had failed to make it beyond the last 16 in the six previous editions of the tournament and had not featured in the last four since 2003, when Vicente del Bosque was coach.Having claimed the Champions League crown at the Bernabeu with Inter in 2010, however, Mourinho was expected to bring the trophy back to Madrid for the first time since 2002. Indeed, at his first press conference he spoke glowingly at louis vuitton Outlet the prospect of winning the competition with a third different team. Three years on, though, it has not quite happened. So where exactly did it go wrong?Tuesday's game highlighted the need to sign a new striker, something which Mourinho has failed to address in his entire time at the club. Had Gonzalo Higuain converted an excellent early chance, things may have been oh so different. Karim Benzema did impress with a goal and an assist after coming on, but his contribution is also far too erratic, while the Portuguese has also been unable to identify a right-back, another weak link in the side. With Alvaro Arbeloa injured, midfielder Michael Essien started there on Tuesday. And he did well, but Madrid can do better - particularly in a Champions League semi-final.Player disputes, a prickly press relationship, problems with fans and confrontations with club colleagues have not helped Mourinho either and he does indeed seem less loved in Spain than at his other sides. Madrid are also a much more demanding club than any of his other teams; he is expected to win, win well and entertain too - so his brand of football was perhaps never going to please. None of those factors have helped in general terms, although none will have affected the team on Tuesday. Coincidentally, Mourinho's other two semi-final exits at Madrid came against the other two sides in the last four this time - Barcelona and Bayern. And the two ties against the Germans saw the Portuguese's side away from home in the first leg.Most players and coaches prefer to play at home michael kors canada Outlet in the second match. Not Mourinho. "I like to play at home in the first match," he said after the 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu against Manchester United in the last 16 in February. "Then you know exactly what you need to do [in the second match] and there are no doubts."Indeed, a look at some of Mourinho's finest results in the Champions League knockout stages shows that many did come with the home leg played first. These include Porto's win over Manchester United in 2004, Inter's victories against Barcelona and Chelsea in 2010, and Madrid's passage versus Sir Alex Ferguson's side this term.Looking at the three semi-final defeats, it seems to be in the first match where the doubts have crept in. Against Barca in 2010-11, the Portuguese picked Pepe as an enforcer in a three-man midfield and saw the plan (which had worked days earlier in the final of the Copa del Rey) backfire as the defender was sent off. The coach also received criticism from fans for his ultra-defensive formation in a home match (with little more than 30 per cent possession) and ended up losing 2-0 as Messi struck twice against 10 men late in the game. A much more positive Madrid drew the second match 1-1 at Camp Nou when Mourinho seemed to finally discover another way of playing the Catalan club.A year later, he almost got away with it as Madrid came within a minute of sealing a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, but a defensive lapse late in the game allowed Mario Gomez to hit a winner which would prove decisive. It was no less than Bayern had deserved, however, and Mourinho's approach appeared overly cautious, albeit against a strong side. In the return, Real raced into a two-goal lead but were pegged back and eventually edged out on penalties.Something similar occurred this season. The damage was not done on Tuesday, but last Wednesday in his side's dismal display in Dortmund. Madrid lacked width and intensity in a sterile showing as Mourinho got it all wrong tactically with a virtually untried 4-1-4-1 formation in which the players looked anything but comfortable.The result was the disastrous 4-1 defeat in Dortmund and, ultimately, it proved to be an insurmountable scoreline on Tuesday. As in the previous two semi-finals, Mourinho's men came out and attacked in the second leg, yet it was a conservative approach in the first match which has arguably cost his Madrid team from making it all the way to the final over the last three years. Had he been more proactive in his approach instead of just reactive after the first matches, Madrid may have had their Decima by now - and Mourinho his Tercera. As it is, both will have to wait.Follow Ben Hayward on