Has Balotelli Been Worth The Trouble?
After scoring the winning penalty in Liverpool's Europa League win over Besiktas on Wednesday, Mario Balotelli has once again succeeded in upsetting the apple cart. As Jordan Henderson was preparing to take the spot kick himself, Balotelli proceeded to snatch the ball from him. This triggered a heated confrontation between him and teammate Daniel Sturridge. Ignoring both of them, Balotelli coolly slotted the winner.
The aftermath is the seemingly meaningless affair has gone to a deeper core- Steven Gerrard has now accused Balotelli of showing disrespect! When a respected figure like Gerrard starts to call you out, you know this no small opinion. Since arriving for £16.5 million in the summer, this guy was once again the hot topic of discussion and many questioned Brendan Rodgers' decision to bring him in. In the past he has proven to be disruptive, but he has normally made up for this with his scoring ability. This season though it appears that the goals has all but dried up as Balotelli has only hit the net once in the league- which didn't come until February!
Also unlike his former cocky but deadly assured self, Balotelli has appeared unsettled and lacking confidence at Liverpool which has partly contributed to their uneven run of form this season. Could this be that Rodgers is using the wrong tactics and that Balotelli isn't suited to their formation? This may well be the case, but you have to wonder if has more to do with his fitting in among teammates. At Liverpool there appears to be tension in the dressing room, which seems to be a frequent problem with Balotelli. Henderson did well to diffuse the penalty situation when it occurred and showed real leadership quality to prevent something far worse from boiling over.
In fairness, Balotelli does have a very good record on penalties and as he pointed out to Sturridge, he has only ever missed two. Even so however, he should have respected captain Henderson. His lack of discipline and respect for those around him though is something that is frequently addressed. Many predicted Rodgers would cut his loses in the January transfer window, but he decided to take a gamble on M.B once more. Slowly he beginning to find his way back, but you cannot shake the fact that it once again feels like the clock is running down on his time on Merseyside. Super Mario better show something pretty remarkable soon, because Liverpool need a striker with a clear head and more importantly, a clear indication who takes penalties!
The aftermath is the seemingly meaningless affair has gone to a deeper core- Steven Gerrard has now accused Balotelli of showing disrespect! When a respected figure like Gerrard starts to call you out, you know this no small opinion. Since arriving for £16.5 million in the summer, this guy was once again the hot topic of discussion and many questioned Brendan Rodgers' decision to bring him in. In the past he has proven to be disruptive, but he has normally made up for this with his scoring ability. This season though it appears that the goals has all but dried up as Balotelli has only hit the net once in the league- which didn't come until February!
Also unlike his former cocky but deadly assured self, Balotelli has appeared unsettled and lacking confidence at Liverpool which has partly contributed to their uneven run of form this season. Could this be that Rodgers is using the wrong tactics and that Balotelli isn't suited to their formation? This may well be the case, but you have to wonder if has more to do with his fitting in among teammates. At Liverpool there appears to be tension in the dressing room, which seems to be a frequent problem with Balotelli. Henderson did well to diffuse the penalty situation when it occurred and showed real leadership quality to prevent something far worse from boiling over.
In fairness, Balotelli does have a very good record on penalties and as he pointed out to Sturridge, he has only ever missed two. Even so however, he should have respected captain Henderson. His lack of discipline and respect for those around him though is something that is frequently addressed. Many predicted Rodgers would cut his loses in the January transfer window, but he decided to take a gamble on M.B once more. Slowly he beginning to find his way back, but you cannot shake the fact that it once again feels like the clock is running down on his time on Merseyside. Super Mario better show something pretty remarkable soon, because Liverpool need a striker with a clear head and more importantly, a clear indication who takes penalties!
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