The former Barcelona player and coach said he was confident his side could overturn their deficit in the Champions League semifinal and took a swipe at Inter coach Jose Mourinho.
Dutch football great Johan Cruyff once criticised Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for having "bad technique for a good player" — and he has not changed his view over time.
"You have to get more out of the qualities you have," the former Barcelona player and coach and the club's honorary president said in an interview to Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.
"You have to be effective," Cruyff added in a reference to the striker, "especially if you come to a big club from another country. The biggest and hardest steps are the mental ones."
Cruyff's original comment, made when Ibrahimovic was playing for Dutch club Ajax, was that the striker had "good technique for a bad player, bad technique for a good player".
Ibrahimovic joined the European champions from Inter Milan last July in a swap deal with Samuel Eto'o.
Cruyff praised Cameroonian striker Eto'o for his ability to switch from attack to defence.
"That is one of the details Ibrahimovic must learn, because if you lose the ball as a forward in Italy it makes no difference," said the Dutch maestro. But if you lose the ball as a forward at Barcelona, you're the first one to get running."
Barcelona trail Inter 3-1 going into Wednesday's Champions League semifinal second leg at the Nou Camp.
Cruyff said he was confident his side could overturn their deficit and took a swipe at Inter coach Jose Mourinho.
"Mourinho is a good coach, but I don't like the way he coaches," he said. "I'm a bigger fan of coaches like [Frank] Riijkaard, [Barcelona's Pep] Guardiola — gentlemen. I think this sport is about something more than just winning."
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