My opinion on him is that he has the talent to be as good as any striker in the world, but he is beyond fragile and has never sustained a good run in the team. He also now carries a significant amount of baggage which could become a bit of a problem. I mean, if they get married and all is fine with them, that's great and fair enough.

Do I have faith in Pato? I would give my left arm (ok, maybe I wouldn't) for him to hit his peak form for us and become a £50M striker - he's shown glimpses of what he can do, so fleetingly, but they've been there. But he needs a run in the team, no injuries, and a gradual build up of form.

And the last thing we need is a messy breakup with Babs.

It's not just a handful of fans han and it's not even a shortsighted assessment. Everyone loved Pato from the beginning. Was it because he had potential? Yes, but it was also because of the kid's passion for the game. Back when he played with a smile on his face and displayed little asymmetrical hearts to the fans after scoring. He was not asked to carry the team, it was just the way it went. We had no star striker and he happened to be a rising star, so pressure followed. He handled it well at first with a sense of innocence and a childlike sweetness. He was too green for the kind of lifestyle he found himself in though as it was soon apparent. People go on and on about Balotelli and his antics, but all because he has a tough "street" character. Pato has been messing around too, yes we have to accept. Failed mariage, genital flaunting cybersex style, the eye-gesture Asian-style, however unintentionally. But he mostly got away with these things again because the kid looks rather naive and unaware in comparison. But still, what do you do? You learn and grow right? Right. All good. But in the process he has lost something. His performance has hindered, his passion has been converted to some sort of introvert hatred of... something. He seems too intense in the head and plays a much more physical game now, swaying away from his organic style of free flowing, quick play. It does seem like such players suffer under Allegri and I won't deny such claim. But Pato has had many chances to go beyond this and adapt his game. He certainly couldn't have done worst if he tried a couple new things. Yes, his goal-scoring record is good. But he is no Inzaghi, in that scoring goals is not his only job. He has been misplacing too many passes this season and his communication with his team-mates is hitting an all-time low. Sometimes it looks as though he hates everybody and everybody resents him back (Binho and Silva being exceptions). He definitely isn't smiling anymore...

His progress has been on the downslide and Balotelli has been improving and I can only agree that right now Balotelli seems like a better fit for us than he. Balo's tough "street" character is nothing but the side-effect of a black kid growing up in Italy as an Italian in what must be one of the most racist countries I've known. If people haven't been in his shoes, they'd do better not saying anything and letting the kid grow from his own experience. I've never really thought of him as this "**** up" of a MONSTER I hear from people. Where Pato looks lost in space, Balo seems to be finding his place in this World. So I don't see it as a problem that people want to let Pato go and I bet that most wish that he finds success (hopefully abroad) and become a great. It's just not working out here for him and he doesn't seem happy here either no matter what is being said in the media.

In closing I want to point out to an interesting episode here in my own house. So my girlfriend decided to watch a Milan game with me sometime ago. Pato happened to be playing. 30 minutes into the game, she turns to me: "What this guys's problem?". I asked who she pointed out Pato. "What do you mean?" I replied. She went on to say the kid's got an attitude problem and it's obvious to her. Funny thing? It was her first Milan game so she had no pre-conceived opinion of him and other players. Fun fact? Her favorit players are Abbiati, Boateng and Ibra. (She did admit Ibra has an attitude problem too but was won over by his fighting spirit for the team and leadership skills in that particular game) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

This post has been edited by KillerMax: Jan 28 2012, 04:47 AM

Max, I do find your points all very valid. He's not the same kid he was even just 2 seasons ago, something is certainly weighing on him. That being said, this is the only season where imo his performances have really suffered. Obviously something is effecting him, the injuries are certainly not helping. He's still a star player in the making but something is blocking him.

My main point has always been that we should not jump the gun on Pato. He's not 27, he's 22, there is still a lot of time for him to overcome whatever his problems are. I was watching maestro's compilation of Pato's goals from last season, all those injuries, yet still he scored some great and important goals for the team, 3 point goals that in the end pushed us towards the title and no one can deny this.

Sometimes players go through certain phases, I remember a season when Sheva was really out of it, I think it was around 2002. And rumours were that he'll be sold to Real. Some people wanted to jump at the money simply because he was having a bad season. You just simply cannot make such decisions impulsively. First for Pato the injuries need to be taken care of for him to start delivering, that's his first mental issue. And imo, that cannot be accomplished with Milan's doctors.

As for Balo, I'm 100% sure that he'll be a Milan player in the future, whether some of us like it or not. That being said, I believe that he'll come in when Ibra is no longer playing for us. Him and Pato get compared a lot because they both burst onto the scene at the same time. But they're very different players and one would not be replacing the other.

Great post han. I find your points valid as well. I prefer to leave the conversation here, where we are exploring the grey area and things aren't as simple as just BLACK & WHITE!!

Completely with you!!