The world against the Duck

It's amazing how fickle the human mind, indeed the human being, is. Throughout history this has been well documented with falls from grace to grass occurring on a daily basis. It makes me wonder, quite frankly, whether we as a species are innately indecisive or quite simply stark, raving mad!!!. I don't know what else to think because such behaviour defies science and logic.

Take, for instance, the ancient nation of Israel; God's very own chosen people. In captivity in Egypt and facing all sorts of barbaric and inhumane treatments, God sent Moses to deliver them. Moses performed some absolutely breathtaking miracles, including turning the Nile into blood and, keeping Egypt in darkness for the better part of 3 days: and his magnum opus; parting the Red sea for his people to cross when Pharoah's army was hot on their heels!!. Yet, all it took was a few hardships for them to start clamouring for a return to Egypt, SEE?

Alexandre Rodrigues Da Silva, our very own Duck, is currently finding out just how mad his fellow homo sapiens are. Once touted as the future of Milan, Pato has fallen so far, so fast he must be wondering if his arse can keep up. As the january window approaches there seem to be a general consensus that he would be sold to Paris-Saint Germain, or at the very least leave Milanello. €50m is not a bad sum, really; and not surprising considering his age and limitless potential. What's been the most surprising aspect of all this, to me at least; is that Milan fans everywhere seem quite happy to see the back of the Duck. It's time to cash in, most say; for soo long we've heard so much and seen so little, others echo. He's made of glass, we can't just keep waiting for the next time he clutches his thigh on the San Siro turf.

The fickle nature, as I was saying. All these concerns are legitimate, I must admit. Pato seems incapable of playing for long stretches of time, often spending more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. It's a worrying issue for everyone at Milanello, I'm sure; and all solutions must have been tested to no avail. Another issue is his inconsistency; Pato explodes to life in certain games, often grabbing a brace, but then he goes quite for the next couple of games or so. There's also the issue of his work rate, which is probably the least of the entire squad. Compatibility issues with Ibrahimovic, the focal point of this Milan side, also exist. When they play together they seem to get in each other's way, unlike Robinho who seem to have developed an almost telepathic relationship with the Big Swede. A lot of issues surrounding one player, wouldn't you say? Maybe the fans aren't so fickle after all?

Actually they are. It wasn't long ago when Pato was being touted as the savior of Milan. Upon his arrival, at just 18 yrs, Pato instantly hogged the limelight; often providing the inspiration for the sub par Milan sides post 2007. Pato has an incredible goals per game ratio of a goal nearly every other game; he's netted 51 in 110 apperances since joining il Diavolo. Pato always shows up for the big games; his brace at the Bernabeu ample proof of that!!. Last season he had Inter out of the Derby della Madonnina within a minute!!. He scored another absolutely crucial brace against Napoli, whilst half the Camp Nou and indeed the world had barely settled in their seats when he rattled Valdez' net!. How could we have forgotten all that???!!!!. He was instrumental to the scuddetto last term; for much of the 2nd round when Ibra wasn't scoring due to his loss of form and or missing games due to murmuring expletives, Pato led from the front!. His pace is explosive!!!, I'm sure Busquets and Mascherano could tell you a thing or two about that; whilst his ability to fashion out space for himself is exquisite; add that to top notch finishing and you have a world class player, one of the best strikers in the world and with his entire career ahead of him. Aside his injury situation, it doesn't make any sense to sell Pato; he scored the same number of goals as Ibrahimovic and Robinho last season, having played a significantly lesser amount of games. He might not be scoring right now, but it would be folly to sell Pato.

Obviously there are aspects of the Duck's game which needs improvement. He has to learn that it's not enough just being a spectator when out of possession; Allegri requires his pressing done from the front. He has to realise that sometimes it's much better to pick out a teammate than go for goal himself; he needs to learn how to co-exist with Ibracadabra. Most crucial of all; he needs to put his injury woes behind him. He doesn't deserve some of the sick he's getting now; he could be an integral part of the new Milan headed by Thiago Silva, Abate, Boateng, and Nocerino for the next 10 years.

I haven't mentioned a couple of seemingly important issues because I don't think they are all that important. Pato's relationship with Barbara should be their private issue, whilst the apparent bust-up with Allegri is laughable. I read the full interview, and if that is a bust-up, I don't know what the world is coming to.

One thing we should all realise; we are in the market for a striker because of FantAntonio's heart; if we therefore bring in someone and ship off another, where's the replacement for Cassano?. Finally, to all the wise-ass Milan fans who say, f**k it,let's take the €50m, a little reminder. Carlos isn't a Milan player yet, and even when he eventually does arrive, he would be cup tied in the Champions League. Pippo would probably be gone, El Shaarawy is just a kid with talent; and we all know Robinho can't score to save his life. So good luck to y'all, winning the Champions league with one and a half strikers!!!

moonbyte