Schmeichel Rates Ibra High

Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has compared AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Eric Cantona and expects the Swede to shine at Euro 2012.

Sweden will kick-start their Euro 2012 campaign with a fixture against co-hosts Ukraine. With France and England being the other two members of Group D, the Swedes are not widely favoured to qualify for the knock-out stages. However, Schmeichel believes Erik Hamren’s men could prosper at the tournament if they make Ibrahimovic the focal point of their team.

“Is Sweden a better team without Zlatan? No team is better without Zlatan, he is one of the world’s best players,” he said to Expressen.

“It is not him who should adapt to the other Swedes, it is the others who should adapt to him. His team-mates have all got that responsibility. He gets frustrated out there because no one else understands what he does, how he thinks.”

Citing his former Manchester United team-mate Cantona as an example, the Dane shared how manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought the best out of the talented Frenchman.

“Cantona was an example. Alex Ferguson treats all his players differently, someone will have two months off, another two minutes off. You need to have different personalities in a football team, and Zlatan is a player who can create anything from nothing,” Schmeichel stated.

“Rather than stifle his ego you should encourage it. If you encourage his ego, he will give you even more back. I know from personal experience from my years at Manchester United.”