Ibrahimovic in the swim in Turin

By Marcus Christenson

Having joined Juventus FC from AFC Ajax on transfer deadline day last summer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made a mockery of the cliché that it takes time for strikers to settle in Italy. He has looked assured, accomplished and unfazed from the start, scoring five goals in his first ten Serie A games.

Leading role
The 23-year-old had to carry Juve's attack in the early months of the season as David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero both succumbed to injuries. Despite the absentees, Fabio Capello's side had raced to the top of Serie A and qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League by the beginning of November.

Flying start
The Swede still cannot quite believe how smoothly things have gone since his move from Amsterdam. "I feel very good," he said. "I get a lot of confidence from the coach and all the people around the club have helped me a lot. I think that's the main reason why it has gone so well so far."

Tactical switch
The switch from playing in the Eredivisie to performing in Serie A has seemingly been done with ease, but Ibrahimovic admits he has had to adapt, saying: "I was used to the team being under pressure to win all their games from playing with Ajax because they are the top team in the Netherlands. But it is a lot more physical here in Italy. It is also a lot more tactical.

Juventus heroes
"You have to play hard against the defenders. Italian defenders are very clever tactically and use their brain a lot. But in the end, I don't think any defenders are better than ours here at Juventus at the moment. Luckily I only have to play against them in training."

Striking difference
Ibrahimovic believes Juventus have the players to be successful in Serie A and in the Champions League, saying: "The main difference between Ajax and Juventus is that at Juventus you have a lot of world-class players who are the finished article. At Ajax there are a lot of talented players, but they are perhaps still learning a bit."

Ideal preparation
Ibrahimovic had a tempestuous three years at Ajax, but believes Amsterdam was the perfect place to further his career. "I had a really good time at Ajax," he said. "I was there for three years and I learned most of my football there; it's a great place to educate yourself as a footballer. It prepared me well for Italy."

Capello role
One of the main reasons for the former Malmö FF player's unmistakable confidence is Capello, who arrived from AS Roma in the summer. "Capello is a winner," said Ibrahimovic. "He creates a team, gets the team to play the way he wants it to play and you don't need to ask questions. You know that he is doing the right thing for the team and the team responds to that. We have played fantastically so far."

Huge target
Ibrahimovic concluded: "This season we want to win all the competitions we are in - the Champions League and the Italian league. We want to go for a double and we have a good chance of doing that." But what would he do then? If he were to win the Champions League and Serie A by the time he is 23. "Then I want to win them again."

This an abridged version of an article which appears in the latest issue of Champions magazine, the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League. Click here to subscribe.