(10-30-2012, 10:23 AM)ACMILAN1983 Wrote:

(10-29-2012, 08:39 PM)nefremo Wrote: I agree with everything you said. The bolded part however shows why Pato will probably never reach his potential. (I really hope I am wrong). Pato rarely tracks back and rarely works for the team. Sometimes it just looks like he is a Zombie walking on the field without any real desire and grit to get things done and grind them out. I think part of the problem is that he became a star at 17. We paid 22mil Euros for him when he was just 17 and then was put in our line up and expected to lead the attack right away. (Carlo actually tried to raise him the correct way, but it didn't last very long). It all got to Pato's head I think. He became too big of a superstar too quick for his own good. Of course, injuries aren't helping either. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

Back on topic......El Shaarawy is trully becoming a star. I can't get enough of this player. Lik you said......the desire, the hard work, the hunger, the grit, the work ethic..........I just hope he doesn't lose it once he is mentioned among the "star names".

Pato and El Shaarawy are very different players though. I appreciate El Shaarawy's talent and particularly workrate, he should become a star. However, Pato for me is the more talented individual and I think these days it's easy to forget that he actually did better than El Shaarawy when he joined at 17, scoring goals for fun and at times simply being unstoppable. Only problem is that the last couple of years have seen injuries completely hamper his career. I'm not sure he's let stuff get to his head, I mean we can't know unless he plays and Genoa was the first proper match he played for 8 months.

Essentially, my point is right now El Shaarawy is flavour of the month, but we shouldn't forget that he's in the position Pato was in a few years ago.

As for comparisons, maybe Pato is more like Van Basten and El Shaarawy more like Donadoni. I don't mean this in terms of qualities and attributes, but in the sense that both are immensely talented, but Pato, like Van Basten is much more reliant on his instinct and individual ability, though this doesn't mean he can't play in a collective group. On the other hand, Donadoni for all his quality worked extremely hard for the collective group and his movements were based on how the group moved, much like El Shaarawy now.

(10-30-2012, 01:23 AM)ACM2012 Wrote: Personally, he reminds me of Roberto Baggio and Kaka. Of course, everyone's opinion is different.

I wonder if Shaarawy keeps scoring goals, will he become our penalty kick taker? Pazzini is becoming painfully useless, and Pato has yet to show anything.

Truth is we could keep comparing all day and night, but ultimately he's his own player with his own qualities.

(11-06-2012, 06:57 PM)nefremo Wrote: I agree with you......but I wasn't trying to compare the players to each other, even though it may have seemed like that. I too think that Pato has immense talent and I haven't forgotten what he did when he was only 18. Which is why like I said, I hope I am wrong, but at this point he does look a little uninterested(not sure if that's the right and correct word....but just looks like there is no hunger/grit there) on the field. Not just now (this season), but going back a full year or more. He can't ONLY rely on his talent. I remember Pato's first game for Milan (against Napoli). He was extraordinary. Working for the team, running all over the place, taking players on, connecting and working hard on both ends of the field, etc. He was ONLY 18. That game alone proves that he CAN do that, so it's really not a matter of style/type of player. It's obvious that he is able to do those things, but for one reason or another he doesn't. He has simply not done that consistently for Milan over the last few year and like I said...IMO those are the things that MAY hold him back in reaching his full potential (which is immense). And injuries of course!!!

Also, I don't think El Shaarawy is the flavor of the month. I think he is quality and given the time on the field he will grow into a great player. At the same time, I don't know if Pato is more talented. I like to believe that (I think that), but it's hard for me to say that. Especially knowing that talent means nothing if you don't fulfill it. And I'm affraid that because of the reasons I stated before, Pato may miss out on fulfilling his.

I may be asking for too much and my style of what I want to see on the field may be different then others.

For our sake....I hope I'm wrong and you are right. I hope Pato hits 3 past Malaga today!

(11-18-2012, 05:41 AM)sylrus Wrote: how many has he scored so far???