After Romeru Lukaku helped Inter win 4-2 in the Milan derby in February, the Belgian striker declared: "There is a new king here. ”
Zlatan Ibrahimović waited for his time until last Saturday when he finally found himself in a perfect position to respond.
"There has never been a king in Milan." The Swede said after helping AC Milan beat Inter 2-1 twice: "They have a god. ”
This is fully in line with Ibrahimovic's "forced king" persona, but it is easy to understand why the striker has a "savior complex".
When he returned to San Siro in January, he molded himself into a savior and he has been working wonders ever since. At the age of 39, he has become the most influential figure in Serie A.
"In Italy, he's more of a balance-changer than Cristiano Ronaldo." Former AC Milan and Juventus head coach Alberto Zaccheroni told the Italian daily earlier this week: "It is no coincidence that many young players have grown rapidly since his arrival. ”
Zaccheroni was right. Of course, it didn't have such a big impact on Juventus, and it wasn't C. Ronaldo's fault. Before Ronaldo joined, Juve had won seven consecutive Serie A titles, and the next two were just a matter of course.
Ibrahimovic has yet to win a single trophy during his second time with AC Milan, but he has had a dramatic impact on the club as a whole; it's a team that hasn't played in the Champions League since 2014.
While his stats are impressive (12 goals and 5 assists in Serie A 2020), his impact on the team's dressing room is truly incredible.
AC Milan have the youngest squad in Europe's five major leagues – Ibrahimovic's experience proved priceless. Teammates praised the striker for leading by example in every training session.
Still, Fabio Capello was not at all surprised that Ibrahimovic remained 100 percent.
"Zlatan is a special player." The former AC Milan and Juve coach told Sport Milan last week: "He combines a higher level of professionalism with a heroic personality. ”
"Even at 39, he can be decisive because he doesn't play to focus on participation; he plays to win. A champion like him is the driving force of the whole team. ”
'Milan's youngest players see Ibrahimovic going to the extreme in training and they think: If someone like him trains so hard during the week, we can't back down.'
Still, if Ibrahimovic's revival is simply attributed to Ibrahimovic, it would bring great injustice to countless people in the club, as everyone in the club is moving in the same direction for the first time in so many years.
When Marco Giampaolo was sacked last October, Milan were in chaos, finishing 13th in Serie A and their entire programme was once again in danger of complete collapse.
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis began considering entrusting almost sole control of the club's competitive side to Ralph Ronnick, the mastermind behind The Red Bull's football empire.
As a result, Stefano Pioli is considered to be nothing more than a transitional candidate; until the German arrives in 2020-21, he is only responsible for restoring stability.
As an experienced coach, he was quiet, humble, and mediocre, and was known as a "regular coach." But as Sport Milan asked after the derby victory: "Are we really sure he's the 'ordinary one'?"
No, not anymore.
Pioli may be a really nice guy, humble, dignified, down-to-earth, but what he does is really special. Ahead of Monday's match against Roma, AC Milan are the only team in the big five leagues this season to have a 100 per cent winning percentage.
But the Rossoneri has far exceeded the glory of September. Their form since the rematch has been astounding. Since the start of Serie A, Ac Milan have played 16 games, including 13 wins and 3 draws. None of the five major leagues has such a long unbeaten record.
In addition, AC Milan have scored 24 consecutive goals in Serie A for the first time since 1973, 56 years after the last 10 consecutive goals scored two or more.
Of course, Ibrahimovic played a key role, adding a whole new dimension to the team's offense. As legend Sacchi pointed out, when AC Milan face pressure from Inter, they can pass the ball directly to their centre-forward because they know he knows every Inter defender.
However, Pioli rearranged Char khan oulu as a striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, a clever decision that has made the previously unstable talented player one of Europe's most efficient attackers over the past four months.
The Turkish international isn't the only player to have benefited greatly from Pioli's appointment; Casey has finally reached his huge potential, forming a formidable midfield pair with Benace.
The duo played very well and, in fact, Sandro Tornelli, signed in the summer – one of the most exciting young talents in Italian football – had to sit on the bench regularly, underscoring the strength of the Milan team.
In fact, they now have both offense and defense, conceding only one goal in four games so far. Captain Romagnoli is at the back, but Kyriar's contribution cannot be ignored.
The multiple-transfer Dane came to AC Milan with Ibrahimovic on the winter move – sporting director Maldini began to specialize in this low-cost introduction – and immediately helped the team strengthen the backline.
"I think that all changed in January." Pioli admitted after the derby: "At that time we brought in players who were more suited to our style of football and filled the gap in our squad. ”
He said it very simply, very directly, very easily. But absolutely not. Everything Ibrahimovic did was remarkable. What Piori has done to this team is equally remarkable.
Entering the top four is now a realistic goal. Ibrahimovic even started talking about the league title, which of course is not surprising: he said that if he could start last season instead of arriving halfway through, they could win last season's league title.
Still, Pioli wisely downplayed their prospects for a title early in the season, saying: "There are currently four or five teams in Serie A who are better than us on paper. ”
On the pitch, however, few European teams are in better shape – let alone Italy.
Ibrahimović may not be a god, but he and Pioli proved to be a match made in heaven at AC Milan.