Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ignored the predictable boos on his first return to Inter Milan without answering the sceptics who still doubt his ability to finally make a mark in Europe.

Wednesday’s 0-0 draw in the Champions League Group F opener prompted more questions than answers for both sides, even if Barca shaded the contest in terms of chances and technical ability.

Swede Ibrahimovic hopes his pre-season swap deal with Samuel Eto’o can turn him into one of the most feared strikers in the continent after invariably flattering to deceive for Inter in the Champions League.

His talents in domestic soccer are undoubted, given he inspired Inter to three Italian titles, and he was fully prepared for jeers from parts of the San Siro.

“Some whistled, it’s normal when you lose a player you did not want to lose,” he told reporters. “With a bit of luck I could even have scored.”

In truth, Ibrahimovic snatched at a good early chance and generally failed to impose himself despite some tidy link-up play.

“I’m very happy, in my opinion we have players better than Inter,” he said.

Eto’o, who scored the opener when Barca beat Manchester United 2-0 to lift the trophy last May, put in a similarly indifferent performance as Ibrahimovic against his former side.

“It was difficult for him. But he worked hard for the team and that’s why I like Samuel,” Inter coach Jose Mourinho told a news conference after refusing to comment on Ibrahimovic’s display.

PHOTO: Inter Milan’s Walter Samuel (R) challenges Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Barcelona during their Champions League soccer match at the San Siro Stadium in Milan September 16, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Boy, the Champions League is back with a bang. How much juicier can you get than holders Barcelona at Inter Milan in their first game?  

If the Spanish champions against their Italian counterparts wasn’t enough, we’ve got the added spice of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o playing against their former clubs at the first possible opportunity following their extraordinary close-season swap deal.

Barca midfielder Xavi has told Reuters it will still be strange to line up against Eto’o on Wednesday while Inter’s Jose Mourinho, who has had an up and down relationship with the Catalans, has been stealing the headlines as usual.

“Eto’o is the best attacker in the world. My players are always better. Last year Ibrahimovic was the best forward in the world, now I say Eto’o,” he told reporters.

So will Ibra come back to haunt the San Siro or will Eto’o prove that Inter are not missing him?

No one is really sure what reception the Swede will get on Wednesday.

Although he was the driving force behind Inter’s last three titles, fans were not crazy about him — especially when he clashed with a few at the end of last season when he’d made clear he wanted to move.

So fireworks expected in Milan but there are a few other tasty games such as Chelsea v Porto. And that Rome final only seems like yesterday…

PHOTO: Look they have the same celebration! REUTERS

It is a bit early to be making judgements on the new Inter Milan (especially after a lacklustre first league game) but the 4-0 thrashing of AC Milan at the weekend suggests the Samuel Eto’o-Zlatan Ibrahimovic swap could completely change their way of playing.

Ibrahimovic, who scored on his Barcelona debut in Monday’s 3-0 win over Sporting Gijon, was everything to Inter. He was the target man, the talisman, the go-to man when a flash of inspiration or a goal was needed.

Inter’s over-reliance on the tall Swede was only exposed in Europe when better defences than in Serie A shut him out and nullified Inter’s occasional long ball approach.

In Saturday’s derby, Inter passed the ball more than I remember them doing under Jose Mourinho last season. Thiago Motta, a midfielder with attacking instincts which they lacked last term, scored a wonderful opening goal following a flurry of quick passes.

Forward Diego Milito, also a new signing from Genoa, then blasted in a penalty. Eto’o had taken the spotkick in the previous weekend’s 1-1 draw with Bari but he was quite happy to share the duties with his strike partner.

Inter suddenly looked like a collective group far more than they had in the four years of Ibra.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, however. Milan were awful and Gennaro Gattuso’s dismissal, after he had asked to come off with an injury but couldn’t because substitute Clarence Seedorf wasn’t ready, summed up their display.

Inter need to prove again and again that they are now more pleasing on the eye, especially in Europe…

PHOTO: Inter Milan’s Samuel Eto’o celebrates their win at the end of the Italian serie A soccer match against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan August 29, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has again lamented the lack of a playmaker* following Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Bari in their Serie A opener.

Creativity was already a problem for the champions last season and now talented striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left for Barcelona, it is difficult to see where inspiration is going to come from judging by their Super Cup defeat to Lazio and the Bari draw.

Samuel Eto’o is a goalpoacher while Dejan Stankovic, who occupies the role behind the front two, is a hard-working midfielder at best.

Mourinho has said the club is working to bring in a playmaker before the transfer window closes but with Deco too pricey at Chelsea and Wesley Sneijder looking happy to bide his time at Real Madrid, the options are limited.

But there is Sampdoria’s reformed wildchild Antonio Cassano. He has certainly matured in the last two years after annoying a slew of coaches with his behaviour and at the moment is undoubtedly the most talented Italian with the ball at his feet.

Reports linking Inter with Cassano have swirled for months and Mourinho is an admirer, although he cryptically said at the weekend that Cassano now played too far forward to be considered a playmaker and had blotted his copybook by daring to score against the champions last term.

Perhaps Inter are worried that a return to a big club will prompt Cassano’s childish side to re-emerge (which is probably why Marcello Lippi will not consider him for Italy).

But it is often worth taking a risk to find that bit of brilliance.

* Kevin and I have often wondered if there was better way of saying “playmaker”. “Man in the hole” is just a bit too weird. The Italians have a nice word — trequartista (three-quarter forward)

PHOTO: Plenty of space on the Inter bench. Jose Mourinho gestures before the start of the Serie A match against Bari at the San Siro, August 23, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Barcelona’s new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a glowing report by Pep Guardiola after their Spanish Super Cup victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

But the doubts remain as to whether his qualities will be enough to replace or improve upon those the side have lost with the swap deal which sent former number nine Samuel Eto’o to Inter Milan.

The Swedish striker lined up from the start between Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry for the first time, and helped Barca sweep aside the visitors 3-0 to win the curtain-raiser to the new season 5-1 on aggregate.

Messi grabbed the headlines with a brace, and Ibrahimovic’s second-half replacement, Bojan Krkic, added the other goal.

“Ibrahimovic was perfect,” Guardiola said. “Everyone is worried about how he will pressure our rivals’ defences, but I have no doubts.

“Because he’s so tall he doesn’t appear very dynamic, but he will pressure as required for the team. Step by step he will adapt to our needs.”

Ibrahimovic linked up well with his team mates showing some wonderful touches, came close to scoring his first goal on a couple of occasions, and won huge cheers from the fans.

He laid off the ball for Messi’s opener and his physical presence and aerial threat give Barca a new dimension up front. But will they miss Eto’o’s aggression and that ruthless streak in front of goal?

Eto’o netted Barca’s opening goals in both their Champions League final victories against Arsenal and Manchester United.

“Without Eto’o Barca look different, with less of the fire that he gave them, but Ibrahimovic is going to have a fantastic partnership with Messi,” Alfredo Relano wrote in sports daily AS.

Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros had his reservations: “Barca’s rivals will be able to play out from the back more easily because Eto’o pressured them more. He was a pest.”

It’s early days still, but Ibrahimovic and Barca will need to click quickly with an expensively reconstructed Real Madrid raring to go when the season starts next weekend.

If your first reaction on hearing about the Samuel Eto’o-Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal was “How much?” then I can assure you you weren’t the only one.

To land Ibrahimovic, who is due to be presented this evening at the Nou Camp, Barcelona will not only hand over the Cameroon international striker but will also give Inter Milan a reported 45 million euros and the loan, for one season, of Aleksandr Hleb.

According to Marca, who are not exactly fans of Barcelona it must be said, that makes the total cost of the Swedish striker at least 87.5 million euros (with Eto’o valued at 35 million, and Hleb for a season at 7.5).

So how on earth is Ibrahimovic worth close to 90 million euros? How on earth is he valued at double Eto’o, one of the world’s top strikers?

Ibrahimovic is the sort of striker coaches love. Tall and strong, he is happy playing with his back to goal and therefore gives the team a target man. He scores goals too, of course, and he has contributed to six league title-winning campaigns with Ajax and Inter.

But Eto’o is no mean player himself. The Cameroon international is also strong but relies more on his skill and explosive pace to get past defences. After signing for Barcelona in 2004 he proved to be the missing piece in the puzzle, joining forces with Ronaldinho to get the team back to title-winning ways.

Eto’o scored not only in the 2006 Champions League final win over Arsenal, but also in this year’s victory over Manchester United and he will leave Barcelona with a record of 130 goals in five seasons.

I think it goes without saying that Ibrahimovic is not really worth 40-45 million euros more than Eto’o, so it looks like yet another case of Barcelona letting a player go at far less than their market value, and for reasons other than simply their value to the team.

It happened with Schuster, Stoichkov, Romario, Kluivert, Rivaldo and Riquelme and now coach Pep Guardiola says he’s happy for Eto’o to go for no reason other than a “feeling”, even thought they’re getting next to nothing for him.

Why is it so many big names seem to leave Barcelona in such circumstances? Why have they never mastered the art of selling?

And looking to the future, can you see Ibrahimovic living up to the inflated price tag the Spanish press have put on him?

PHOTO: Barcelona’s new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden poses in front of a FC Barcelona sign at the team headquarters in Barcelona, July 26, 2009. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

It would be among the biggest swap deals ever in soccer but there is a long way to go before it becomes reality.

Inter Milan and Barcelona may have agreed to the transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o (plus a bit of cash for the Italians on top) but the players have yet to agree terms and that looks trickier than might be expected.

Manchester City pulled out of talks with Eto’o after becoming frustrated while media reports say he is asking for astronomical wages.

Ibrahimovic on the other hand is reportedly the most paid player in the world and Barca will have to be careful not to destroy their wage structure if they want to recruit him.

Furthermore, Barca president Joan Laporta met Inter’s Massimo Moratti earlier in the close season and they both agreed a swap deal was not a good idea because they still wanted to keep their strikers.

The situation has changed since then, with Ibrahimovic repeating a desire for a fresh challenge and Eto’o looking more like departing, but in soccer money talks and there could still be more twists.

Sweden’s Ibrahimovic, away in the U.S. with Inter which could complicate matters, seems more keen than the Cameroon international. Ibra would definitely be more fed up if he agreed terms with Barca but the swap collapsed because Inter would not meet Eto’o’s demands.

Then Inter’s Jose Mourinho, eager to know who his main striker will be as soon as possible, would have to use his famed motivation skills to make Ibra commit fully again to the Serie A champions.

PHOTO: Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (L) passes the ball around Club America’s Juan Carlos Silva during the second half of their World Football Challenge at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California July 19, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the ultimate soccer enigma.

He scores goals for fun when playing Bologna, Chievo and Palermo but often goes missing against AC Milan, Manchester United or Liverpool (which is why he is never in the running for the top awards despite the incredulity of Inter fans).

The tall-yet-skilful attacker has been racking up Serie A titles but the Champions League seems a distant prospect and with all due respect to Sweden, he is not likely to win any honours in international football.

If you want someone to outrageously chip the keeper, Ibra is your man, but don’t expect him to always score that tap-in.

Judging how much these sorts of players (Antonio Cassano? Dimitar Berbatov?) are worth is very tricky, especially after he admitted at the end of last season that he fancied a new challenge.

Inter president Massimo Moratti slapped a 70 million euro price on his head which scared off Barcelona and Real Madrid. If Kaka cost 67, can Ibra really be worth more?

Without a bid forthcoming, the forward returned to pre-season training with Inter last week saying he was “happy”. Moratti then said the player was off the market.

Now English newspapers say Manchester United and Chelsea have come sniffing. Chelsea’s reported offer would be 50 million plus Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, two players Inter coach Jose Mourinho wants.

A move is suddenly back on the table but like everything with Ibrahimovic, any transfer is bound to be complicated, especially as he has just jetted off on a U.S. tour with Inter.

What’s your bet on where Ibra will end up? I reckon he’ll still be at the San Siro come September…

PHOTO: Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring against Lazio in their Italian Serie A soccer match at San Siro stadium in Milan, May 2, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Rellandini

During a typical football discussion at a Milan pub recently, a friend made a comment which really stayed with me.

“Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the closest there is to Van Basten.”

After thinking about it, I realised he was probably right. Ibrahimovic’s touch for a big man and his ability to score wonderful goals really do mark him out as special. It is right to talk of him in the same breath as one of Holland’s finest.

He scored two more, including a free kick, in Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Fiorentina on Sunday. Inter are heading for a fourth straight Serie A title solely because of the Swede. Jose Mourinho knows it. Without Ibra, Inter would be fourth at best.

Yet in Europe, the former Ajax forward just can’t make an impression. He hit the bar in Wednesday’s Champions League elimination by Manchester United but he really should have scored. Two more excellent chances went begging.

Maybe it’s nerves, too much expectation. Maybe Serie A defences make him look better than he is.

We’ve talked on this blog before about how much better Lionel Messi, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are compared to the rest of the players in their leagues.

Ibra is easily Italy’s equivalent but soccer’s top personal honours will escape him unless he performs on the really big stage.

For more blogs on other sports than soccer, check out http://blogs.reuters.com/sport

PHOTO: The hand of Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic touches the ball as he jumps before scoring past Fiorentina during their Serie A match at the San Siro, March 15, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Having seen replays of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s remarkable backheel goal for Inter Milan on Saturday, I reckon it’s one of those rare moments when football reaches the realm of art.

I realise you risk sounding like a wally by comparing something frivolous like football to such a serious business. (more…)