Alexandre Pato Fans

As the end draws near, reality strikes every single Milan fan out there. Yes, possibly the best defender to have ever stepped a foot on the green pitch will retire and leave this beautiful game, but he will not leave alone as million hearts will accompany him even after he ends his career; the watery eyes, the goose-bumps, and the Maldini chants will see him off the San Siro pitch on Sunday, in his last official game on the Milan Home-Ground.

Memory brings us back to Baresi’s last game, and how can one forget the thousands fans applauding for Franco as he took the pitch for that last time, and then as Baresi left the field practically in tears as he got possibly one of the most outstanding standing ovations one would ever witness. Memory also brings us to another legend, Marco Van Basten, the most memorable seen at “his night” was the emotional few moments that Capello went through as he saw himself cry as the Van Basten was preparing himself to close the curtains on his career. Then memory brings us to Billy, who retired just a couple of years ago, and took a part of the Milan Soul with him; a legend who can easily categorize into a “Milan Symbol”.

The common thing about all those players retirement is that there was always someone who came from that generation that was able to keep that torch high and lit; a player that witnessed all those moments, and will soon follow their lead. Only problem is that now one asks himself who will take the torch from here? Maldini is the last fruit of the most fruitful football tree one has ever witnessed. The likes of Rino, Ambro, and Kaka’ will most probably hold the torch together to continue Milan’s Journey, but there will always be a part of Milan that will remain missing as long as Maldini isn’t there; at least that will remain the case until Christian, Maldini’s eldest son, steps on the San Siro pitch as only then will the gap be filled and Paolo will again be present on the field.

Much has been said about Maldini’s defensive abilities, leadership qualities, and his amazing presence on the field that basically it has been carved in the heart of every Milanista out there; so I decided to narrate it in somehow a different way. As I watched those millions compilations that were dedicated to those defensive abilities and amazing offensive runs, I didn’t see the Maldini that I still see week in –week out in the Milan shirt. There was something different, despite all the music, despite all those amazing shots, those videos were just below quality; something no one would even imagine as those videos would make a player like Darmian look as good as someone in the caliber of Billy Costacurta. Those videos just couldn’t show his presence on the field, couldn’t show the atmosphere he created, couldn’t record him cheering up his team mates and trying his all to keep Milan as a unit on the field; those videos were just never good enough; as Maldini’s qualities were never only those a very talented player possesses. Maldini was just much better to be shown in a video, his career was far more impressive to be “summarize” in a clip.

Now we come to what has Maldini achieved, I was reading the other day the number of trophies he had won, and quite frankly I laughed my way through them. How can a player have more Champions League (Champions Cup as well) trophies than teams in the caliber of Barcelona, Manchester United, and say Inter Milan. Then, I remembered it was Maldini I was reading about, not just any normal player, he was just a gift from God.

Then when we come to the number of games he has played in the Milan shirt, yeah the number 900 for some might not seem all that, but I ask those people to close their eyes for a second and just imagine being in the dressing room for 900 times, wearing the same jersey, seeing people come and go, being there through the bad and the good, those numbers would seem like the months a married couple would stay in love with each other; yeah at times one would think that Maldini is married to Milan.

There’s even more to this story, Maldini was able to play with and against the best players of the past 25 years or so. Maldini played along side Van Basten, Baresi, Billy, Sheva, Weah, Cafu, and many other players who have achieved stuff one would only dream about. There’s also the players Maldini has faced, names that were capable of doing the impossible. Maradona, Ronaldo, and Zidane are among the whole lot of great players Maldini has played against.

What can more one say about a player who was praised by someone like Ronaldo who said that Maldini is the greatest defender he has ever played against? What can a person say about a player that terrified the best strikers to have ever played football?

Waiting for next Sunday, as hard as it is, one would think of what the Milan fans have prepared for that night? What might those fans do to honor such a player? Well, one thing for sure is that no matter how creative they are, the eyes will only be set on Paolo from the start of the match till Maldini leaves the stadium.

To think of someone who has served a team for 24 years, and has ever since been a Milan favorite, is something beyond one’s ability to understand.

As the curtains prepare to close on one of the most glorious football careers ever, every fan out there prepares a box of tissue next to him, knowing that the next time they watch Milan in the San Siro it’ll be without Paolo Maldini.

Bye Bye Il Capitano!

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Player ratings:
Dida - N/A. Can you really rate him when he was rarely tested?Nevertheless, he did show signs of increasing self confidence.

Jankolvski - 6 - Had some good runs there and here, made some good moves, but at times didn’t click well on the defensive side, and his tackles were not always accurate.

Maldini - 7.5 - Maldini showed yet another great display. His tackles and interceptions were all at time. He barely did any mistake in the game.

Favalli - 6 - Favalli was quite good today, nothing great, but was good. He almost scored an own goal, but the post saved that.

Zambrotta -6.5- The Normal Zambrotta I must say, usual runs, usual penetrations, pretty normal. Nothing outstanding, but was no were near being bad.

Beckham -5.5 - Beckham wasn’t clicking today. His crosses were awful and never lead to anything good. His tackles were bad as well, and his temper got to him.

Pirlo - 7 - Yet another solid display by the playmaker. His movement was great, and most of his passes were intelligent, accurate, and fast.

Ambrosini 5.5 - I’d compare him to Becks today. He was no where near his form, and his tackles were no good. Nothing much to add.

Kaka -8- We saw the old glimpses of Kaka’, great runs and great penetrations. Although, today the most impressive thing about him were his 1-touch passes. Solid performance by Kaka’.

Seedorf - 6.5 - His passing was good. nothing much to add.

Inzaghi - 6.5- He takes the credit for scoring the goal, with a very nice one touch, but he should have got at least one more goal.

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We are looking for contributors  to keep the site updated with the latest topicalities.
Contributors don’t need much time, but they must above all be fans of Alexandre Pato. You can help us by placing pictures, writing articles and placing video’s.

Please send an e-mail to jd5550 [at] hotmail.com if you’re interested.

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  It seems that the champions league has become an obsession rather than just a desire for Pato. He has declared that he wants to lift Milan back to the top of the world. The Brazilian Wonder kid, who has scored 12 goals this season, is touted to be the next big thing in football. It’s easy to see why he’s rated that highly when one looks at the brilliant performances he has done this year.

Interviewed by the Gazzetta, Pato talked about Milan’s Situation, his fellow teammates, his role model, and Milan’s long rival Inter Milan.

The interview with Pato started with the reporter telling Pato that Milan’s upcoming games against Siena isn’t hard and isn’t vital for qualifying for the champions league, however Pato thought otherwise and had this to say about the subject: ” You’re wrong, te trip to Siena is really important for us and we are ready to win against Siena backing our win against Atalanta. The important thing is to not look at the mistakes; we should hold our heads up high and look into the future.”

When asked about Milan’s season and how does he rate his performance for this year, he said the following:” Milan’s season wasn’t good, we got kicked out of the Scudetto race, Coppa Italia, and the Uefa Cup”. We suffered a lot this season, especially against teams like Torino, Genoa and Lecce. We should have been more vital and determined in front of the goal, especially me.  About his performance: “I leave the ratings for you. I have 12 goals this season in the league; I try to give the best performance possible.

Talking about his role model, Ronaldo, Pato was delighted that Ronaldo came back to his scoring ways: ” I was in front of the tv and I enjoyed it a lot. I’m really glad for him since he really suffered a lot and totally deserved this.”. The reported tried to put Pato in a critical situation when he[Reporter] told him[Pato] that Ronaldo was overweight, Pato’s response came quick and smart: If he is in this weight and he’s scoring imagine how he would be when he is in his best physical shape. Ronaldo is a role model for me, he suffered a lot of serious injuries but always came back; it’s something hard to believe.” Pato added the following about Ronaldo and Brazil: Ronaldo gave a lot to Brazil, but I do believe he can still give more. In Brazil there are several special players, but Ronaldo is a phenomenon.”

The reporter asked Pato about Milan’s goals, who were quite big at the beginning, but now have slimmed down to a Champions League Spot:  ” Milan has won a lot, the fans and the critics are used to seeing Milan win which is a normal thing, but we will be back to the Champions League and we’re going there to win it all; in a nutshell we have to open a new round.”

About the champions league exit of the Italian club, Pato’s answer was direct and easy: “The English teams that faced the Italian teams are stronger, that’s the explanation of the matter.” Pato then continued his interview first talking about Balotteli’s condition after the Manchester United loss, saying:” I heard he was really disappointed.” He then talked about the much controversial “Special One”: He talked to me after the derby, for me he seems to be a good guy, but I dont know…”

Pato then said that either Barcelona or Manchester United will win the champions league, he also said that Barcelona are great, performance wise, but he prefers Real Madrid.

He then talked about his 4 teammates: Kaka’, Inzaghi, Ronaldinho, and Beckham:

About Kaka’, Pato said: “I run with the ball really fast, but Kaka’ runs really fast with the ball stuck to his feet, he really impresses me.”

Then, Pato spoke about Inzaghi, saying:” You should always study Inzaghi’s moves in the penalty area, he’s stronger than ever, and I need to learn to take eveyr ball in the penalty zone like Pippo.”

About Ronaldinho: “There’s no secret but you have to know when to move when the ball is in Dinho’s possession, when he’s got the ball you have to be in the right place at the right time; he also helps me a lot.”

Then Pato spoke a little about Becks: “His set pieces are really dangerous and he knows how to pass the ball always, also his crossed balls that turn in front of the strikers’ heads are awesome.”

The reporter than told Pato that: They say in addition to being good in the field you have to be also strong driving your car, Pato answered: I always respect the speed limits, but I did get a fine one time.” The reporter was quick to ask what that ticket was:  In the parking space I was an idiot, I left the car at the airport and when I came back the car had been taken by the police; I’ve became better now.”

The interview was coming to an end when the reporter asked Pato about his message to the Milan Fans: “I can’t help but thank them, we haven’t been alright lately but they have always been with us which is really important. I repeat we will go back to the Champions League next year and after that next season we will do our best to win everything.” The reporter asked if those achievements would be with Carlo or someone else, Pato answered:” You’re Kidding? Yes, with Ancelotti. There’s no better coach out there”.

AC Milan

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On the evening of the match against Siena, Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan boss, had a few words to say about Milan’s situation.

“We were good this week; we also had a few important players back to the squad. Now we must take that and change it into a positive result tomorrow at Siena and display a nice performance. Our win against Atalanta ended a bad period for Milan, and getting back some vital players will help us improve our displays in the matches. We are working to get as many points as we can from the remaining matches of the season. On paper, Roma, Fiorentina, and Genoa all have tough matches, but Milan need to win anyways.”

Talking about Siena, Carlo had the following to say:

“Siena is a good team they play a special tactic in our zone, and they have a very good defense which especially on their ground does very good. In the previous game against Siena we faced some difficulties, and playing against them wasn’t easy. Siena is well organized, and Kharja works really well. At home, they are a very dynamic team and I expect them to be very fast.”

The Milan coach also talked a bit about the Milan players, here is what he said:

“Kaka’ and Ronaldinho will be on the bench tomorrow. Bonera and Seedorf have problems, and I hope we get them back next week. Beckham played a good game against Atalanta; he’s a smart player who can fill any position. He’s worried because of his new position since he has never played in it. Gattuso has a lot to do to recover from his injury, and in a month duration he can comeback to train where as it would take him 2 months to start playing again.”

Talking about the exit of the Italian Teams from the Champions League, he said:

“Between the English Premier League and Serie A there is a gap that is hard to close next season.  For example, Manchester United is the most team that has matured and they’ve done a lot in 2 years and have proved to be a very competitive team.”

Carlo said that he will not give Inter much attention, especially Mourinho, and will concentrate more on Milan.

For Sunday’s Clash against Siena, the following Milan players were called up:

Abbiati, Dida, Kalac; Antonini, Darmian, Favalli, Jankulovski, Maldini, Senderos, Zambrotta; Ambrosini, Beckham, Emerson, Flamini, Pirlo; Inzaghi, Kakà, Pato, Shevchenko, Ronaldinho.

Were as the hosts, had the following players called up:

Amoruso, Barusso, Belmonte, Brandao, Calaiò, Codrea, Coppola, Curci, Del Grosso, Del Prete, Eleftheropoulos, Ficagna, Frick, Ghezzal, Jarolim, Kharja, Maccarone, Portanova, Rossi, Vergassola, Zuniga.

Carlo’s Men hope to gain the three points and to give a brilliant performance as well. The Milan’s fan are waiting for a positive result, anything less than 3 points will be considered disastrous.

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With their minds concentrated totally on Serie A, Milan make the trip to Siena to face a squad which will most probably prove to be really hard to beat.

The Beckham saga has pretty much ended, as Becks will be a Milanista till the 30th of June, as the official site of the Rossoneri had reported.

Injuries are still proving to be a great deal of trouble for the Milan side, as both Kaka’ and Seedorf are expected to be out of the game, where as Ronaldinho and Beckham will most probably be present in the game, the later who faced a minor injury while training is expected to be in the starting 11.

Pato will most probably lead the Milan attack with a partnership with Super Pippo, and the Milan fans have their fingers crossed hoping that Pato maintains his current performance and hopefully improve it.

Siena aren’t in the best of situations as they are only 7 points above Cheivo, who stand in the 18th position. A win or even a draw would prove very important for Siena. Where as, Milan continue their battle for protecting their 3rd place position, and a win will give them a breath as they travel to Napoli next week.

Last time around, Nesta was able to get the equalizer for the Milanista in the dying minutes of their match against Siena at the latter’s home ground. As that game ended in a 1-1 draw; Milan hope that things will change this time and that they end up getting the 3 full points.

The Disciplinary Situation:

The Rossoneri are without suspended players in view of Sunday’s match at Siena. Three players are within a booking of suspension: Ambrosini, Jankulovski and Kaladze. For Siena, instead, one suspended player (Galloppa) and five players within a booking of suspension: Amoruso, Calaiò, Coppola, Maccarone and Portanova.

Probable Formation:

Siena

Curci; Del Grosso, Brandao, Portanova, Zuniga; Vergassola, Codrea, Jarolim; Kharja; Maccarone, Ghezzal

Milan:

Abbiati, Zambrotta, Maldini, Bonera, Jankolvski, Beckham, Pirlo, Flamini, Ambrosini, Pato, Inzaghi

Prediction:

Siena 1 - 2 Milan

Milan’s defense has been far from convincing and lately they produced blunders after each other, although the good midfield and the great attack of Milan will most probably bring home the 3 points.

Referees: Nicola Ayroldi, he will be assisted by Pirondini and Maggiani where as the 4th official will be Celi.

Stadium: Artemio Franchi’ stadium of Siena

Time: 3 PM Italian Time.

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With his recent dazzling performances, Pato was able to catch the eye of Dunga yet again who called him for the upcoming 2 world cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Peru.

He wasn’t the only Milanista to make it, as Kaká, Ronaldinho and Thiago Silva all were called up as well.

The full list for the players called up:

Players in italic are the Milansta’s called up.

Brazil will play against Ecuador on March 29 in Quito, where as they will face off with Peru at April 1in the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre.

The call up will boost the confidence of Pato as he gets ready to lead the Milan attack against Seina this weekend, as Milan hope to gain 3 more points to drift away from their followers.

AC Milan

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Before the math against Atalanta, all results had been great for Milan; a Roma draw and a Genoa loss was enough to give Milan a breathe before the start of the match.

Atalanta came to Milan missing their 2 main players up front, where as Milan where missing about 6 starting 11 players. That didn’t prove costly for Milan, as a great display by Abbiati and a hatrick by Pippo was enough to give Milan the whole 3 points.

Official Formations for the match:

Milan (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Bonera (84’ Antonini), Senderos, Maldini, Zambrotta; Flamini, Pirlo, Jankulovski; Beckham (90’ Viudez); Pato, Inzaghi (80’ Shevchenko).

Atalanta (4-4-1-1): Consigli; Garics, Talamonti, Bellini, Peluso; Ferreira Pinto (66’ Defendi), Guarente (60’ De Ascentis), Cigarini (76’ Parravicini), Valdes; Padoin; Plasmati.

The match started with Atalnta seeming to be the better side, but that wasn’t enough to stop Super Pippo from opening the score in the 7th minute, a good pass from Jankolvski saw Pippo shake the net after a well placed shot. For the rest of the half, it was a clash between Abbiati and the Atalanta team, Atalanta produced great chances but Abbiati was there to stop them all; a great display from Abbiati proving once again why he’s the Milan #1 goalie. Despite Atalanta’s dominance in the first half, Pato and Pippo both had few chances that they wasted, and Atalanta’s offside trap worked perfectly. The referee whistled the end of the first half, ending a bad performance from Milan despite their goal. 

The second half started with Milan showing glimpse of improvments; some great movement by Jankolvski and Beckham where the reason behind that. Despite that, Atalanta still was able to cause threat to the Milan goal, but non was able to get past Abbiati. It wasn’t until the 71 minute that Milan were able to put the 3 points in the bag, when Inzaghi beated the offside trap, and went on to overcome the goalie and score the goal after an impressive pass by Our Ducky. With Atalanta pushing forward hoping for a goal, a great 1-2 by Jankolvski and Zambrotta saw Inzaghi score his third for the night, scoring his 108th goal for Milan and breaking th record  of theMilan Legend Giusepe Santgostino who had 106 goals in the Milan Shirt, and who was the 7th best scorer in Milan’s history. The referee whistled the end of the second half and the match, as the Milan fans sang :”Milan Milan Sempre Per Te….Milan Milan Solo Con Te”.

Because of Fiorentina’s  and Genoa’s loss, and Roma’s draw against Udinese Milan were able to widen the gap between them and Fiorentina to 5 points, giving Milan a breathe as they had to Seina next week hoping to have a few players recovered.

Pato;s performance wasn’t as convincing as his performances lately, but he still was able to caush threat on the Atalanta goal and gain Milan 1 or 2 free-kicks, add to that his assist leading to Pippo’s second goal.

Pato-Fans Man Of the Match:

Abbiati- Despite Pippo scoring three goals, Abbiati was the most important player out there. Had it not been for his great saves, Milan probably wouldn’t have gained all 3 points.

Scorers:

Pippi Inzaghi - 7′, 71′, 74’

Bookings:

 Bonera, Jankulovski ; Bellini, Peluso

Final Score:

Milan 3 - 0 Atalanta

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Milan and Atlanta face off in what is supposed to be a very important match. Both teams are eager to get the 3 points, especially Milan who want to back their campaign for a direct spot in next year’s champions league.

Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan Coach, said in his press conference:

He opened his press conference, talking about tomorrow’s clash against Atlanta saying: ” Atalanta did not call Doni and Flocarri, both very important players and will be hard to replace, where as Milan would be missing a huge number of players as well, thus making the game a very hard and delicate one.”

He then talked about the formation that will play against Atalanta:” Seedorf had some problems yesterday, and he his conditions will be evaluated today. If he can’t make it, one of Beckham or Pirlo will play as an attaking midfielder, thus moving Jankolvski to the midfield. Where as in the defence, one of Senderos or Antonini will play.

Then he talked about the team’s condition and then Milan’s position in the table: “We are in an emergency situation, nothing much changed from last week, but hopefully after tomorrow’s clash with Atalanta we will get to train for a full week and we will have some important injured players back to the squad.

He commented on the thought that defenders treat Pato harshly, saying:” Pato’s characteristics contribute in him being fouled, as his speed allows him to get to the ball first before defenders who later on try to stop him with their fouls. He added to that saying: “Pato is not afraid of facing such situations, and his game will not be effected.” Talking about Pato’s position he said:’Pato doesn’t have the characteristics to play as a lone striker, and he’s best when he comes from the outside while having a playe rin the box that he can pass to”. Pato has a good teacher in Inzaghi.

[Official Ac Milan Website][Paraphrased].

Players Called Up:

Ac Milan:

Abbiati, Dida, Perucchini, Antonini, Bonera, Darmian, Jankulovski, Maldini, Mattioni, Senderos, Zambrotta, Beckham, Cardacio, Emerson, Flamini, Pirlo, Inzaghi, Pato, Shevchenko, Viudez.

Atalanta:

F. Coppola, A. Consigli, G. Bellini, L. Talamonti, M. Pellegrino, F. Peluso, D. Capelli, G. Garics, L. Cigarini, T. Guarente, A. Ferreira Pinto, F. Parravicini, D. DeAscentis, S. Padoin, A. Cerci, M. Defendi, G. Plasmati, J. Valdes.

Discplinary Situation:

Favalli (Milan) and Manfredini (Atalanta) are suspended. The Rossoneri players carrying a yellow card into thise game are Ambrosini and Kaladze, whereas for the Neroazzurri are Cigarini, Ferreira Pinto and Garics.

Milan players that are not called up:

Kalac, Kaladze, Nesta, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kakà, Ronaldinho, Borriello.

At least 6 of the above players usually play in the starting formation with Milan, their absence will be obvious especially Kaka’s whose absence has proved to be hard to cover.

Prediction:

Milan 1 - 0 Atalanta.

With such a tough game in hand it’s really hard to predict which team will overcome the other. Despite the numerous injuries Milan are facing upfront, they still have Pato who is very well capable of changing the course of the game at any time. Where was Doni, Atalanta player, will be missing thus creating a huge gap in the Atalanta offense.

Thanks to the Ac Milan Official Website.

AC Milan

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