[han2503]

The big game we've been talking about for more than a month now. If we win this I'll fly to Milan and kiss Allegri's feet. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

That being said, we do have a lot of injuries and potentially no Ibra. My only fear is that we'll see the same midfield we saw against Cesena. And that won't be pretty against Juve

[han2503]

The issue of his injuries being psychological has been discussed plenty of times in the media, and I made a specific reference to it. The fact you don't buy it doesn't make my point absurd. I didn't say it's the main reason, but it's been preventing him from making steps forward. And there is some truth in that.

It happens to everyone, but not on a regular basis as in the case of Pato. Consider Boateng against Arsenal. He was coming from a month-long injury, yet he made a terrific performance, even though he wasn't ready yet and it was giving him problems throughout the match. I wish Pato would show such determination, at least in the games he's fit. But no, he's too scared to force himself, otherwise he'll get injured again.

But this season Cassano had to forfeit and Robinho was having a crappy run until the match against Arsenal. We had to rely on Ibra once again. That's why I wanted Tevez so much. If we had an all-star attack like you say, then Pato would have been excused. But the current circumstances required his presence. And that's why fans are frustrated.

I do believe that his psychological issues factor in. But I don't think they're the reason that he get's the injuries to begin with, I do think that as you say, they hold him back from playing 100% when he returns but imo, they're not the cause for the injuries themselves. They're the cause for the hesitancy in his play though, that I do agree with you

Boateng is only just starting to experience such injury issues in his career (which is another huge worry for me), this is the 3rd season for Pato, when it was just the first few occasions, he got back in no problem and played with that confidence he used to have, but last season, and this one, when they started to come more frequently, he started to hold back a lot more. You can't really compare the 2 situations. It's understandable for him to have that worry at the back of his mind, while for Boateng it's not as pressing as it is for Pato.

You do have a point with Cassano and Robinho. But Tevez wouldn't have solved anything, not this season anyway, he hadn't kicked a ball for months, you think he'd just have slipped into the team seamlessly and started playing every 3 days from the off. He'd still probably be doing preperation training now with us.

And yes Robinho and Cassano were unexpected issues, but Cassano will be back next season while Robinho is always a bit of a gamble but has chipped in a lot this season and last, even while playing like c@p (it's mostly his finishing that is cr@p btw). And now with El Shaa's rise and Maxi also chipping in, it will give even more breathing room for Pato. I know it's frustrating, and you just want to go there and shake the sh!t out of him. But for me, I'm willing to wait a maximum of 2 more seasons before I throw in the towel. I know you feel that's too long a time to wait, but I think we canot really judge until he's around the 25 year mark. Plus he's not going to be worth a lot now either, so I'm willing to wait it out, because if he does get over this it will be hugely beneficial to the club. Think a Balo, Pato, El Shaa attacking trio in the future would look good