Be back soon Antonio

Just when things were going so well for him, both at club level and for Italy, he has been struck down with an illness that for someone his age is rare. Antonio Cassano is set to undergo the knife today for surgery to his heart that will fix the cause of the minor stroke he suffered last weekend.

It is a great loss for Milan and for Italy. The club communicated via their website that he will be out for a ‘few months’. Vague, I know, but we can safely assume that at best he will be back late January, maybe February.

If the match against BATE was a sign, it is that we will miss him. He has been our best and most consistent striker this term, creating goals and scoring a few too.

Now, responsibility in attack will rest on the shoulders of Zlatan Ibrahimic, Robinho and Pato. Not a bad lot of strikers but they are not without their defects.

Ibrahimovic is moody and his play exhibits this. Robinho, for all his trickery and pace requires four shots on target before he can score one while Pato spends as much time off the pitch with injury as he does on it. This prohibits him from ever gaining regular playing time and consistency that comes with it.

I am having a whinge, I know. But, I am just disappointed by this whole Cassano affair, as I am sure many of you are.

Despite the criticisms, Ibra, Roby and Pato are top class and they should help see to it that the Rossoneri do not miss Antonio too much.

For some details on the actual operation; it will remove an anomaly in the heart in which a small hole develops between the left and right atriums allowing blood to escape between the two, causing turbulence that can result in a blood clot.

Do not worry if you do not completely understand this; I do not either. Simply put, he has a problem with his heart, they will cut him open to go in there and fix it, stitch it back up, give him a rehab program and slowly he will recover.

While it sounds simple enough, any operation concerning the heart must involve some risks and it is this that concerns me. Though, rest assured, I am sure he is getting the best treatment on offer.

After some good form and results by Max Allegri’s men, this week has been a sobering affair. The Cassano affair coupled with the recent news concerning Rino Gattuso has left many within the club and many outside, like us fans, with a feeling of helplessness. But, such is life where the unexpected is expected.

Milan’s draw with BATE transformed the feeling of helplessness into abject frustration. The harsh penalty awarded to BATE, the handball that was not called that would have earned us a penalty, Robinho’s wastefulness in front of goal and ending the match second best all contributing to this.

Nevertheless, there are things to be positive about. We have qualified for the next phase of the Champions League with two games remaining, are back in contention in the Serie A and Ibrahimovic seems to be in good mood these days hence the goals.