Mario Balotelli [On the Road to Ballon d'or)

[Kenneth]

You forgot the most important deficiency. He's ex Man U.

He's a quality player and will get better and better if played regularly as a striker.

It's too early to judge MB. He needs to find a spark which everyone knew was missing, including BR. It's his job to try to make it happen and he will do his best. That was the 16m gamble. No ones fault if it doesn't happen. We were in a hole. At least he was relatively cheap.

It doesn't really matter that he was cheap, he's our only fit striker and we're dropping points galore, struggling to get out of an easyish CL group and pretty much out of the title race already. Buying a cheap striker is a false economy, it looks like it's going to cost us a whole lot more than we might have saved.

[Pablo]

I'm still fuming about him now

I can't stand the way he plays, it's so self-indulgent and anti-Liverpool.

The amount of times last night he could have layed-off a simple pass and kept the ball moving, but instead took about 10 touches before giving it away

Shooting wildly when a better pass was on. Must be up to about 100 shots by now with 1 goal.

That moment when he stole the ball when clearly offside when Manquillo would have been clean through had he left it.

I've said on here numerous times how average I think Borini is, but at least he works his bollocks off. I would have been delighted to see him play instead of Mario last night. That says a lot.

Really not sure how he turns it around either? He'd need a fundamental change to the way he plays which seems extremely unlikely I might be knee-jerk here but it looks like the (understandable) gamble might not pay off.

[BG1973]

It doesn't really matter that he was cheap, he's our only fit striker and we're dropping points galore, struggling to get out of an easyish CL group and pretty much out of the title race already. Buying a cheap striker is a false economy, it looks like it's going to cost us a whole lot more than we might have saved.

It was cheap gamble. You gamble on him improving and the avoid the problems you describe.

There is a difference.

I didn't want him here, I didn't think the gamble would work, but he's here now and it's too early to judge right now. BR needs time to work with him.

[Exiled_red]

Didn't fancy him as a player before he came but became convinced he was well worth the gamble at £16m. I think he's done okay overall, to be honest. But "okay" isn't good enough, not for Liverpool FC, and especially not when you're trying to fill the boots of Luis ****in Suarez.

He'll be better when Sturridge comes back, I know he will. Both need a partner and at Spurs - with **** all training/bonding behind them - they looked good together. It's still too early to write him off but **** me he's frustrating.

As you say he's a decent player, the thing that worries me is if he suits the system we want to play. IMO he doesn't suit the system we played last season, so the question is can we develop an attacking system that gets the most out of the players we have? Our attacking play last season was fantastic, everytime we attacked you believed that we could score, this season I'm not convinced we will score in 90 mins, the way we are trying to play seems the opposite of last season.

[frank the tank]

I'm still fuming about him now

I can't stand the way he plays, it's so self-indulgent and anti-Liverpool.

The amount of times last night he could have layed-off a simple pass and kept the ball moving, but instead took about 10 touches before giving it away

Shooting wildly when a better pass was on. Must be up to about 100 shots by now with 1 goal.

That moment when he stole the ball when clearly offside when Manquillo would have been clean through had he left it.

I've said on here numerous times how average I think Borini is, but at least he works his bollocks off. I would have been delighted to see him play instead of Mario last night. That says a lot.

Really not sure how he turns it around either? He'd need a fundamental change to the way he plays which seems extremely unlikely I might be knee-jerk here but it looks like the (understandable) gamble might not pay off.

for me it was the point where Sterling got into a good position in the first half, made space for himself and had a shot (that was straight at the keeper). Mario gave out to him for not passing it 4 yards sideways for him to have a shot instead.....

if things start to go pear-shaped, then he throws his toys out of the pram and then he is no good to anyone. I hoped that Rodgers could get his attitude right, integrate him into the group and get the most out of him. Perhaps he still can - I have great hope that Balotelli and Sturridge can form a good partnership...

[Pablo]

for me it was the point where Sterling got into a good position in the first half, made space for himself and had a shot (that was straight at the keeper). Mario gave out to him for not passing it 4 yards sideways for him to have a shot instead.....

if things start to go pear-shaped, then he throws his toys out of the pram and then he is no good to anyone. I hoped that Rodgers could get his attitude right, integrate him into the group and get the most out of him. Perhaps he still can - I have great hope that Balotelli and Sturridge can form a good partnership...

I think he has improved his attitude somewhat. I also think he's got him working (a bit) harder for the team than he's used to. Unfortunately it's made no difference so far. He needs to improve in every area of his game.

As Carragher said before kick off yesterday in an away game in Europe you need your lone striker to sacrifice himself for the good of the team. Balotelli did the opposite for me last night. As usual, it was all about him.

[S-RED]

BASCOMBE -
Balotelli looks lively enough with the ball, as his mind computes the need to make an effort when it is at his feet. He also presses well for the first five minutes of every fixture, as if serving a warning that this will be the day. Presumably, that is when pre-match instructions to be energetic still reverberate his eardrums, but he soon reverts to type, his movement not random enough when midfielders are looking for a run beyond the defence.

[G]

His surly demeanour really doesn't help him on the pitch. Makes him look disinterested and self centred when he probably isn't.

[alonso14]

I have seen him play a lot this season but I don't know why people are getting on his case. Hes the perfect type of player for our 433 because he holds the ball up well and links in with our wide players.

He needs people working off him and making runs beyond him but last night only Raheem sterling looked to get in behind basels defence. I thought lazar markovic's movement was poor and he never offered that threat in behind, but equally very few of our midfielders looked to break past balotelli.

Its not his fault if the other lads aren't playing to his strenghts. Why buy a 6 3' target man type player if your team isn't set up to use him / play that way.

[Pablo]

I have seen him play a lot this season but I don't know why people are getting on his case. Hes the perfect type of player for our 433 because he holds the ball up well and links in with our wide players.

He needs people working off him and making runs beyond him but last night only Raheem sterling looked to get in behind basels defence. I thought lazar markovic's movement was poor and he never offered that threat in behind, but equally very few of our midfielders looked to break past balotelli.

Its not his fault if the other lads aren't playing to his strenghts. Why buy a 6 3' target man type player if your team isn't set up to use him / play that way.

Does he? I must have been watching a completely different player to you.

[Kenneth]

I have seen him play a lot this season but I don't know why people are getting on his case. Hes the perfect type of player for our 433 because he holds the ball up well and links in with our wide players.

He needs people working off him and making runs beyond him but last night only Raheem sterling looked to get in behind basels defence. I thought lazar markovic's movement was poor and he never offered that threat in behind, but equally very few of our midfielders looked to break past balotelli.

Its not his fault if the other lads aren't playing to his strenghts. Why buy a 6 3' target man type player if your team isn't set up to use him / play that way.

Exactly, we shouldn't have.

[Havors]

I have seen him play a lot this season but I don't know why people are getting on his case. Hes the perfect type of player for our 433 because he holds the ball up well and links in with our wide players.

He needs people working off him and making runs beyond him but last night only Raheem sterling looked to get in behind basels defence. I thought lazar markovic's movement was poor and he never offered that threat in behind, but equally very few of our midfielders looked to break past balotelli.

Its not his fault if the other lads aren't playing to his strenghts. Why buy a 6 3' target man type player if your team isn't set up to use him / play that way.

He also holds the whole frigging game up as well as the ball... he plays in slow motion. He is also not a target man type player.... to be a target you would have to be in the box not wondering around in midfield.

We should never have signed him, he wasn't what we needed. He isnt particularly doing much wrong he is just not the type of player we needed.

[kev776]

Rumours are he refused to wave to the away fans after he was told to after he was subbed, he then disappeared down the tunnel and wouldn't take his place on the bench.

Hope it's bollox but wouldn't surprise me.

[danperkins]

BASCOMBE -
Balotelli looks lively enough with the ball, as his mind computes the need to make an effort when it is at his feet. He also presses well for the first five minutes of every fixture, as if serving a warning that this will be the day. Presumably, that is when pre-match instructions to be energetic still reverberate his eardrums, but he soon reverts to type, his movement not random enough when midfielders are looking for a run beyond the defence.

His movement is dire. Stagnates our attacks & makes is predictable and easy to defend against.

[meffin]

Rumours are he refused to wave to the away fans after he was told to after he was subbed, he then disappeared down the tunnel and wouldn't take his place on the bench.

Hope it's bollox but wouldn't surprise me.

He didn't get subbed