Ibrahimovic labels Guardiola ‘small-time coach’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Wednesday took another swipe at Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, dismissing him as a “small time” coach.

“In my book, a great coach solves his problems. A small-time coach runs from them,” the 28-year-old Sweden forward told a press conference in Stockholm.

“There was only one person (on the Barcelona team) who wanted to get rid of me,” he insisted, explaining why he left the team and signed for AC Milan over the weekend on an initial one-year loan with a pre-arranged 24-million-euro permanent deal arranged for the end of the season.

He had spent just one year in Spain following a 50-million-euro plus Samuel Eto’o switch from Inter Milan.

“I have never had problems with any coach before during my career,” he said.

“But suddenly I had a thousand problems and I had no communication with ‘the Philosopher’. No communication whatsoever. I don’t know what his problem was,” he said of Guardiola.

“I couldn’t take it. I had no choice but to find a new place of work and I was lucky to go to a club like Milan. I am 28 years old and can not afford to lose a year sitting on the bench and watching the weather,” he added.

Ibrahimovic is in Stockholm with his national team for a Euro 2012 qualifier against hungary on Friday.