da bet esporte： Mario Balotelli put in his best performance of the season at Anfield last weekend with a wonderful goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw. But unfortunately for the striker it wasn’t in the Premier League, or even the FA Cup, but in a charity clash. And that probably tells you all you need to know about his Liverpool career to date.
da mrbet： The signing of the eccentric Italian striker was always going to be a risk for Liverpool and it’s safe to say it hasn’t paid off. Losing their star asset in Luis Suarez last summer was a huge blow for the Reds. His impact on the team was invaluable as they narrowly missed out on their first Premier League title. Replacing him was going to a huge ask for anybody, and so it has proved.
On the face of it, £16million for a player with proven experience in the Premier League didn’t appear to be that bad when it was announced AC Milan had agreed to sell their leading scorer. 30 goals in 54 appearances for Milan suggested Liverpool had gone someway to filling the void left by Suarez. But for some reason, it just hasn’t worked out for Balotelli.
Four goals in 25 games including one league strike tells its own story. Balotelli is enduring a torrid time at Anfield. The 24-year-old has failed to hold down a regular first-team spot and has been predominately restricted to a place on the bench since the return of Daniel Sturridge from injury.
He’s clearly not fancied by Rodgers and it seems increasingly likely that he will be shown the exit sooner rather than later. And for both player and club, you’d have to say that seems like the best option.
On his day Balotelli has shown he has the ability to cause any defence problems. A world class performance against Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 saw him score both goals; arguably the best match of his career. But he has yet to show even the slightest hint of achieving this form since his return to the Premier League, which is a real shame given his quality.
[ffc-gal cat=”liverpool” no=”5″]
His success at Milan came when he was the main man in the team. The team was built to play around him, and he appeared to thrive at being the focal point of every attack. But at Liverpool he is not seen in this way. And for a character such as Balotelli this hinders his performances.
A player of this ability can’t afford to be spending large parts of the season sat on the bench. He showed his capability during his second spell at the San Siro where he was a regular in the team, and he seriously needs to consider a summer move in order to get back his goal scoring form.
His omission from the latest Italian national squad would no doubt have hurt him, and should act as a huge wake up call as to what will happen if he stays at Anfield. It’s hard to see him fighting his way back into Rodger’s plans, and as a result he’s at serious risk of jeopardising his chances of appearing at next summer’s European Championships in France.
With Belgian international Divock Origi already on his way to Anfield at the end of the season, and the potential of more arrivals to bolster their attacking options, Balotelli is going to fall even further down the pecking order.
He’s sure to have a few top clubs keen giving him another opportunity, and it would be no surprise to see him return to the San Siro, either with AC or Inter where he could reunite with his former manager Roberto Mancini.
And with Liverpool probably be willing to accept a far lower price than the one they paid for him less than a year ago, it would be a good deal all round.
It’s a shame we haven’t seen the same Balotelli that had such an impact at Manchester City, and although he was controversial at times, this was part of the reason people enjoyed watching him. He hasn’t fitted in at Liverpool and has ultimately proved to be a poor signing from the club; a disappointing observation but ultimately an unsurprising outcome.
[ad_pod id=’ffc-video’ align=’center’]
[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]