´Winner´ Mourinho does things his way, says Ibrahimovic

Jose Mourinho is someone who, in the words of Frank Sinatra, does things his own way but that hasn’t stopped him creating a winning formula, according to former charge Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Having spent a year under Mourinho’s tutelage at Inter Milan two seasons ago, the big Swede was preparing to face his former boss for AC Milan on Wednesday against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

And although last season at Inter Mourinho claimed he preferred his new strikers Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito to Ibrahimovic, who by then had departed for Barcelona, the striker still retains fond memories of his former boss.

“I learnt a lot from Mouriniho from the first day to the last at Inter, he’s a great coach, he’s got a big personality, he’s a strong character,” he said.

“He knows what to do to win, he’ll do it his way which not everyone likes, especially (journalists) but what matters is who wins and he’s won everything.

“He’s had great teams but he had to do well to get great teams.”

Mourinho has also had a great start to life at Real Madrid, guiding the team to the top of La Liga and Champions League Group G.

It’s a notoriously difficult job in Madrid and Mourinho was widely criticised after his opening game of the season when Real drew 0-0 with Mallorca.

But Ibrahimovic is not surprised that his former boss has come good.

“I’m not surprised because he knows what he has to do to change a team. Now he’s found the right balance in Madrid playing as he wants.

“The important thing is winning as he said himself because if he doesn’t he won’t be able to stay there because Real have to win everything.

“That’s the history and mentality of the club.”

Ibrahimovic spent just one season in Spain at Barca having played five years in Italy before that, two at Juventus and three with Inter.

He ended his last season at Inter as top goalscorer in Serie A with 25 goals in his 35 league games.

But he was far less successful in Spain despite managing 21 goals in his 41 games.

And the Swede says it was because Barca coach Pep Guardiola’s tactics were not right for him.

“Here (at Milan) I feel good, I’ve played many games and I feel free in this system,” he said after seven goals in his first 11 games.

“I trying to do my things and also help my team-mates in every way. I’ve been here for two or three months, I need to get to know my team-mates and they need to get to know my style of play.

“But if a team is always winning you don’t talk about how they’re playing.

“I can play in the box or around the box, it depends on who I play with. If I play with Felippo Inzaghi I don’t go in the area because I’d get in his way but if I play with Ronaldinho, who operates well around the box, then it’s different.

“It also depends on what the boss (Massimiliano Allegri) wants, but I can do both, I can play in the box and outside it.

“At Barcelona I had to play more in the area than outside it and that upset me because I didn’t feel free in my game.

“Of course I need to do more than what I’ve managed so far but I’m sure I will do that.

“When you join a team it’s normal to expect a lot because you join to win.

“But it’s only the beginning and there are still many games to come. We need to find the right balance to win.”