Being Frank 7.28.09: why Barcelona might have gotten the better on the Ibra-Eto'o swap.

So let me get this straight. Barcelona, after dominating Europe and Spain in the last year, part ways with Samuel Eto'o, 45 million Euros, and Hleb (loan) in order to get Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This is the same Zlatan Ibrahimovic that scored that all-important goal against, wait that's not right. But he came through with an amazing display against...... no he didn't do it against them either. Wait, I got it, Ibra tore the nets at...... no not at Old Trafford either. So Barcelona decide that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is worth 100 million Euros? What goal from what meaningful match did Ibrahimovic score that made him worth all of that?



I can only picture Mourinho and/or Moratti of Inter laying in bed, smoking that proverbial cigarette after getting this deal through.



So what has been the latest blockbuster move in this bizaare transfer season, has led the masses to suddenly hand the Nerazzurri a 5th consecutive Scudetto and properly poised to contend for a Champions League title. I try to be a contrarian in all of this, and look for the facts that would lead me to believe that Barcelona doesn't look so bad in all of this. I should footnote all of this that I am stepping away from my red and black world to make this assessment. I'm being as non-biased as I can:

1. System of Play: This has to be the biggest thing to look at. Eto'o scored 36 goals in all competitions last season while Ibrahimovic scored 29. Mourniho's men are more tactically rigid, and they tend to grind out results, while we know of Barcelona's expansive and creative attack. That said, with fewer attacking options at Inter, you could argue that Ibrahimovic's strike rate was more impressive, and contributing to that is......


2. Supporting Cast: This somewhat ties in to each team's system. Tell me who pulls the strings in midfield for Inter. Barcelona have playmakers all over the pitch; Henry, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta. Don't forget Dani Alves bombing down the right hand side as well. Inter have a nice wing back in Maicon, but after Stankovic who else can you really look at to be the string puller for Inter?


3. League: By image, it's pretty safe to say that Italian Serie A is known to be more tactically rigid as a whole. Teams are more organized defensively and tend to employ more marking. On top of that, a lot of physical play as the central defenders work to make life miserable for even the best finishers. La Liga, meanwhile, the teams are a lot more free-flowing and the marking isn't as tight. If Ibrahimovic can score 25 of his 29 goals in Serie A last season, with the playmakers he has, he ought to be able to score even more in Spain.

Still, did the Blaugrana really have to include money in the deal? I think they spent too much, but in the end they may end up looking really good in this situation. I think another thing to consider in all of this is Cameroon, Eto'o's nation. He has not been at the strike rate that he accomplished in Spain. Same can be said about Ibrahimovic and Sweden, as even for his country he hasn't really scored a meaningful goal.