During the first half of last season, many Milan fans immediately fell in love with the young phenom, Stephan El Shaarawy. His ability to become a vital part of bringing this team out from the lower part of the Serie A table to a European contender was nothing short of impressive. In fact, he received high praise from several young superstars like himself for his performance on the pitch. Players like Mario Goetze had nothing but great things to say about the Italian international. Milan and the loyal fans of the club knew what they had in El Shaarawy. What excited us most was that he just entered his 20s and his potential was sky high.
The second half of last season, which saw Milan jump as high as the 2nd slot in the Serie A table, was completely different from the earlier half. The team appeared to be playing with a little more resiliency and recognizing a chance to salvage a spot in the next Champions League tournament. The departure of Alexandre Pato fueled the arrival of Mario Balotelli, one of Europe's most prolific talents. Mario Balotelli arrived at Milan in January for peanuts, energizing Milanisti across the globe. Its no surprise as to what Mario Balotelli can do on the pitch aside from his questionable antics. When in form, he is one of Europe's most gifted footballers. A duo that would consist of Mario Balotelli and first half hero Stephan El Shaarawy surely left Rossoneri fans watering out the mouth as this would only build a chemistry for the future Azzurri attack.
Mario Balotelli went on to score 12 goals in just 13 caps for Milan. However, the other half of the attacking threat, El Shaarawy, tailed off from his superb first half. Many times, El Shaarawy looked exhausted from a heavy workload on the pitch. Tracking back to defend on many occasions or perhaps being asked to carry the heavy goal burden that he felt responsible for? Not quite sure what the definitive reasoning is behind his disappointing second half but the bottom line was that Milan did qualify for the third and final CL spot, fending off Fiorentina on the final day of the season.
The big question is: What can we expect from Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli as we approach their first full season together? There is no disputing the talent that Milan has with these two stars. Mario Balotelli can generate space and opportunity for himself to score, a skill that El Shaarawy, in time, will obtain at Milan. El Shaarawy played a more central role while on loan at Padova. Comparing Serie B to playing in Serie A particularly at Milan is two different monsters but you have to take into consideration that he is a young 20 years old and still has plenty of room for growth. With Balotelli in red and black, El Shaarawy knows that he has a great partner up front that will help take some of the pressure off himself, which will allow El Shaarawy to flourish in whatever attacking role Allegri places him in.
These two attackers have built a great relationship through their short time last year and with the international squad. With a full, clean slate going into the 2013-2014 season, the expectations are high but at Milan, that has and always will be the case. Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli have developed such a connection that we expect nothing shy of excellence between the two of them as well as Milan. With Balotelli at Milan, you can count on El Shaarawy not to disappoint this time around. Expect the duo to fulfill expectations and lead Milan as serious Scudetto contenders.- MS
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