During the Chelsea vs Manchester City match this Saturday, Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato expected to play a few minutes but at the end, manager Guus Hiddink left him on the bench. Pato has only been used in two of the last three games of the season, he gave a fantastic first impression on the first one where he scored a brace and participated in the rest of the goals for the Blues. But Hiddink is not yet sold on the idea of using him for the most difficult matches.
The Brazilian spoke to ESPN from his country and said: "In every training session I was visualizing what it would be like in a match. I never gave up and always wanted to train more. When Guus [Hiddink] gave me the chance to play I was very happy. Scoring that goal was a weight off my shoulders. I know that I still need more games to show my value. I feel that my body and mind are strong. My aim is to stay here in Europe and continue at Chelsea."
Pato is confident that if given the chance, he will do what ever is in his power to convince new manager Antonio Conte to turn him into the player he was back at Milan, where Conte managed Juventus and brought the 'Old Lady' back to its glory days: "Conte will do very well here. He's a guy who has a real desire to win. He revolutionized Juventus, winning a lot. I am sure that it will be the same here. He will sign the players Chelsea need."
Photo credit: Chelsea FC