Yeah don't say sh!t about Barbara. She's sacrosanct!!

Thing is, I don't think Pato is a valuable player at the moment.

For me if it was only Pato getting injured and no one else in the team, I'd say Pato was 'broken' and that we should just sell him.

It's obvious that when he's fit he's very very good. So the question then is does selling Pato solve anything or create new problems. For me it's the latter.

Agreed, no one is going to pay good money to buy a player who's out for the majority of the season.

I think we need to fix the injury problems at Milanello before Pato can be assessed further

We should have sold him when we had the chance in January for €35 million. And to think some in here wanted €50+ for the guy. Now he's barely worth €15 million.

Unless the potential buying team think they can solve his injury problem. he clearly didn't have any problems when he was away with Brazil. I don't think he's barely worth 15m, but more. I mean, come on!

Are you questioning Silvio's decision. Blasphemy!

Also, had we sold him then, we would have signed Tevez, who's having a very good start of the season.

Then we would have had to sell Tevez in the summer along the rest of the top earners.

Pato leaving would have made no difference in the end.

We all know who PSG wanted: Silva. We only made the deal with them so we could get Zlatan and his huge wage off our books.

Had Pato been sold and Tevez been brought in. We would have still sold Silva and Ibra, because of the transfer money on offer and the wages.

Come age 25, Pato will either be worth 60 million or 6 million. And that's the bottom line. The way things are going, there will always be someone that will splash such money. The only concern is limiting the guy's injuries, and of course, he'll have to pick up some form and footballing skills too.

The talent is (and has been) there for all to see - if only Pato was injured once a year like other footballers.

Best post you've made all year.


And you've just topped it. We have a new best Jack Sparrow post, nearly instantly!

Nice way of putting it.

Yup. The thing with Pato is that he's still got age on his side, for the next 3 years at least. It's easy to forget that he's still quite young, and has raked up impressive number of goals for his age and time, in pretty much the toughest league for strikers. Like I said, if only he was not injured as often.

His body isn't helping, I know, but neither is our medical team at Milan. 2-3 more years, I say. All will be clear!

Yeah right... you've been coming back since forever.

Yes, very massive indeed. Probably the weakest Derby since I can't remember.

I won't take any 'Pato is back' news seriously till he can have at least few month of regular football without another injury.

+ infinity!!!!!!!!!

Truth.

Pato played 60 minutes with our Primavera against Pro Vercelli and scored two goals on free kicks.

Free kicks?? is he a free kick specialist. never seen him take a free kick before...

Well he did score one in the age of Kaka. It was a straight as an arrow kick, but still a good goal.

September 2008, UEFA Cup at the San Siro against Zurich. I was there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLYtg9CZvY

Goals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Q0tpYjLL4&feature=g-u-u
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTH2xr6MIak&feature=g-u-u

those are good free kicks. He should b our main free kick taker. we hav been struggling ever since pirlo left.

i almost when i saw De Jong was taking free kicks

Look how smaller he was. if they hadn't interrupted his natural growth, he would've contributed to us MUCH MUCH more than he would've as the bulky, strong striker they tried to make him.

I hope we don't make the same mistake with El Sha. though it seems they've learned their lesson.

Brilliant. Lucky you!

It was my first game at the San Siro. Imagine my awe.

I remember that goal!!

Lucky you indeed. One day I plan to be there as well... One day!

No, imagine my awe when I read that. You personally witnessed the last time we were awesome! That team, though somewhat removed from their peak, was still something out-of-this-world. All those legends playing together, and then Pato (of all people) scoring a goal from a free kick, with Kaka standing next to him, oh man, the joy!

Unless one is the type to attend all home matches in a season, these are the moments that last a lifetime!

do you think pato can be like he was again or is he done ?

I think he lost some of his abilities as he gained height/weight. he's not much of a dribbler anymore, he was definitely more comfortable on the ball before. but he gained some advantages as well. it never hurts when you're physically strong.

I think and hope he will be healthy again, though that may not happen at Milan. I don't think any of us really believes Pato can come back and play consistently for a few months without pulling his thigh muscle again.

We'll see.

Really good free-kicks. Can't wait to have him back. Can't stand seeing Pazzini getting starts anymore

I don't know why you're so angry at Pazzo. All in all he's a good striker, but just not useful in the current constellation.

Agreed. Gilardino was defended beyond reason by han, stating that he lacked 'support' from a team that bolstered Seedorf, Pirlo, Kaka, Cafu, Sergio, etc ... I personally believe Pazzini has done alright till now, given the team is not that well off itself.


As for Pato, it is nice to see that he is getting fitter and his recent goals with the youth team should help him build confidence upon his reintegration into this new team. Yet I beg to question, will he remain fit?

Just never saw anything special with him, he's a mid-table level poacher who looks good at Samp but terrible at a top team

@ kurt, I admit to the Gila blindness and I watch him play these days and I think to myself; WTF did I ever think was special about this guy. Pazzini is in the same bracket, and while Gila looked good in his first season with us sarrounded by the players you mentioned Pazzini is coming off even worse than he is considering the players he has sarrounding him now.

Pazzini was a mistake from day one! We cannot afford the luxury of a poacher when any Allegri system depends heavily on the creativity of the forward line because it cannot come from the midfield. We needed to buy a mobile player who has a good pass or 2 in him when we got rid of Cassano. To me, making the exchange was pointless and stupid from both the tactical and financial aspect

It depends how you view Pazzini. If you're saying he's a bad player, I can't agree. He's an outstanding poacher who's very good with the ball in the box and is as good as anyone in the air.

If you're saying Pazzini is bad in the way we currently play, I agree. The Irony being the 1 player we had in the team that would've worked wonders with Pazzini is the one we traded for him.

Don't you go over the top with everything you just said?

Outstanding poacher?

Oustanding poacher is Pippo Inzaghi level of good in his prime. Pazzini is nowhere near that and I stated that he's good for a mid-table team but he becomes very average in a top team where he's not constantly receiving good service to score 1 out of the 10 clear cut chances he's given. Because that's what Pazzini needs, numerous chances to finally get it right.

So basically I'm saying both. He's an average player, and that average level of his quality is only exacerbated by the way we play.

Bojan?

Bojan is not a visionary though, I consider him more along the lines of a dribbler. Sure he can make the odd good pass here and there, but does he come anywhere close to the creativity we had last season from Ibra or Cassano?

Ideally Cassano should have been replaced by a proper trequartista, and not a flag pole like Pazzini

No Chu, I wasn't exaggerating, this is exaggerating.


Pazzini has had 10 shots this season. 7 on target. 3 goals.

Anyone that says what han said has a short memory. Last season was the only season he didn't have a great conversion rate. And yes, stats are clear cut in this.

3 goals, one being a penalty and all coming in one game.

The stats also show that he does not even come close to being involved in any of our plays, thus my favoured term for players like him: Flag pole.

Him standing around up there waiting to be spoon fed (which is what a player like him needs) won't help anyone.

And it's not like he's a particularly strong player either, I think the pass to Robinho yesterday before he was fouled in the box was one of the very few examples where he performed a good manouvre with his back to goal. Another trait which is required if we're going to be making use of him.

I really don't get what you see in this guy. I'm pretty sure he won't get past the 10 goal mark this season.

And another point about your stats, how many balls has he missed like the one yesterday where he's just an inch late. A truely good poacher would be there to convert those opportunities. And this is not just me exxagerating. A good poacher's most important trait is positioning, knowing where to be so you can tap the ball in when it's required.

Which he won.

And you don't rate him with his back to goal? Can't agree there. But I don't agree with most of what you've said on Pazzini other than in this current team he won't succeed. Ruud van Nistelrooy in his prime wouldn't succeed in this team.

cheeky cheeky kurt

Ruud could create a goal out of a fart. He would have added a lot of quality to this team in his prime.

Yep, apples and oranges are being compared here.

Pazzini is as one dimensional as it gets. Ruud was a world class striker in his day

I'm pretty sure both of you do.

And mentioning Van Nistelrooij didn't quite help either.

Why?

The point was that no finisher could be hugely successful in this team. The chances aren't even being created. if RvN wasn't getting the ball, he wouldn't score.

The way this team plays, if a forwards going to score, he mostly needs to do it all himself. That's not exaggerating, that's how I see it.