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

[Alex]

Gerrard has been sharing free kicks with him, he's even gone close with a couple of them. Either way, he still needs to score more from open play, especially the free headers and open goals.

Yep, I think he needs 1 or 2 to get it moving. His record is pretty much 1 in 3 where ever he has been. Not shown that he can do that at the moment, but he is pretty consistent in that normally.

[wiw]

He will score against Madrid.

Hopefully.

[Vermilion]

tbh, there's no point fans turning on the lad, he is what he is, BR bought him knowing full well what he was getting.

If he covered only 30yds in a game and scored the winner then work rate wouldn't be a problem, he is what he is.

However, i do feel he can improve, due to his young age, and seeiing and training with other young players that work hard, that is BR task, it's his job to do now.

Certainly believe BR when he says he wasn't bought with replacing Suarez in mind, more the fact that at 16mill he's a decent player to have in the squad going forward, and has the potential to be better should it all click into place for him.

[Rich]

I actually think his work rate is pretty decent, he's not perpetual motion but then hardly any strikers are.

He's suffering playing in a dysfunctional team as a lone striker. Which means his team-mates and manager are just as much to blame for his lack of goals.

Unfortunately because he is who he is, he's totally exposed to the full media glare - with plenty of fans ready and waiting to get on his back.

[Vermilion]

I actually think his work rate is pretty decent, he's not perpetual motion but then hardly any strikers are.

He's suffering playing in a dysfunctional team as a lone striker. Which means his team-mates and manager are just as much to blame for his lack of goals.

Unfortunately because he is who he is, he's totally exposed to the full media glare - with plenty of fans ready and waiting to get on his back.

Really believe Sturridge would have helped him settle out on the pitch, i know many are doubting this, with comments about the 'second striker' talk being folly, but Sturridge isn't any old strike partner, he's become very unselfish playing with Suarez, and can generally see the bigger picture rather than a chance of self glory, not always obviously as he's a striker, but he's not greedy.

Allied to the fact that Mario consistently gets into positions to receive good passes that create him goal scoring chances, and i think he'd have kicked on with Sturridge alongside.

Anyway, we'll have to wait another 4-6 weeks for that opportunity to come around, then we'll see.

[Alex]

I actually think his work rate is pretty decent, he's not perpetual motion but then hardly any strikers are.

He's suffering playing in a dysfunctional team as a lone striker. Which means his team-mates and manager are just as much to blame for his lack of goals.

Unfortunately because he is who he is, he's totally exposed to the full media glare - with plenty of fans ready and waiting to get on his back.

I can think of one currently playing, and he was the exception.

[-V-]

As crap as he was yesterday, I can't help but feel that one day soon he is just going to step up and score an amazing hatrick or something. It's coming

[MrMichael]

Lack of goals is not the only problem. Crouch took yonks to score, but at least his build up play gave us hope. I completely fail to see how his team mates are responsible for him not having scored once from 30 shots. 21 of which just gave the opponent a goal kick. He has been set up on a plate several times too, nobody to blame but himself for those. A disfunctional system does not excuse the continual, abysmal wastefulness he exhibits with the ball in attacking areas and his utter inability to think of the team ahead of himself as an individual. And his history, 1 assist in 3 previous years in the Prem, along side being the least accurate striker in Europe last season, kinda suggests the issue is not just about us.

Everybody seems to want to make excuses for him, he just needed Rodgers to sort his head out, he just needed to get match sharp, he needs a partner, his team mates are to blame. Its all nonsense. This is Mario, this is how he has played in 95% of his whole career up to now, open goal misses mostly aside. Ask a City fan how many good games he had for them.

[Alex]

Everybody seems to want to make excuses for him, he just needed Rodgers to sort his head out, he just needed to get match sharp, he needs a partner, his team mates are to blame. Its all nonsense. This is Mario, this is how he has played in 95% of his whole career up to now, open goal misses mostly aside. Ask a City fan how many good games he had for them.

Just as people want to make excuses, a similar amount seem to be taking glee in him failing.

I dont think he has been as good as some say, but equally hasn't been as bad as some say.

Somewhere in the middle is fair IMO. He is a striker who is failing to score, and the spotlight is rightly on him because of that. Not much else too it.

Lambert has been far worse this season I think.

[danperkins]

He has been shockingly bad alright. Really want to see him play in a front two though but we've pretty much seen the Mario Balotelli most where expecting... lazy, wasteful, selfish & for a big bloke he gets bullied by defenders. Spends a lot of the time on the ground looking for free kicks & so many moves fall apart when he has the ball. How many times have we been breaking in numbers & Balotelli head down & tries a pot shot. Infuriating for us & I'd imagine it will grate with the players eventually. Nothing seems to be going right for the guy.

Would love it to work out but so far his style & attitude goes against everything we've seen in a Brendan Rodgers team since at LFC. In saying that, we have no balance throughout the entire team... so it's not on the Baloteli issue that is the only problem.

[Vermilion]

Our fans have made a banner proclaiming his genius though!

He has to come good!!

[Tee]

He has been shockingly bad alright. Really want to see him play in a front two though but we've pretty much seen the Mario Balotelli most where expecting... lazy, wasteful, selfish & for a big bloke he gets bullied by defenders. Spends a lot of the time on the ground looking for free kicks & so many moves fall apart when he has the ball. How many times have we been breaking in numbers & Balotelli head down & tries a pot shot. Infuriating for us & I'd imagine it will grate with the players eventually. Nothing seems to be going right for the guy.

Would love it to work out but so far his style & attitude goes against everything we've seen in a Brendan Rodgers team since at LFC. In saying that, we have no balance throughout the entire team... so it's not on the Baloteli issue that is the only problem.

I am just calling it as I see it; if there was notable effort he would earn some slack from fans but he just looked too half arsed and that for me is simply unforgivable no matter who the player is.

[Alex]

I think people notice how much he works, or doesnt work. Because of who he is. Its just something you look out for naturally.

[MrMichael]

Just as people want to make excuses, a similar amount seem to be taking glee in him failing.

I dont think he has been as good as some say, but equally hasn't been as bad as some say.

Somewhere in the middle is fair IMO. He is a striker who is failing to score, and the spotlight is rightly on him because of that. Not much else too it.

Lambert has been far worse this season I think.

Not glee, absolute, all consuming frustration. I utterly detest watching him play for us in a way I think only Heskey at his worst matched.

Who says he has been good in any way?

Thing is Alex, that isn't all he is. I can handle the misses, and I can accept a system argument for some of his all round play. What I cannot get with is the disgraceful waste of good possession with the constant, aimless shooting every time he gets the ball within 30 yards of goal, no matter how many teammates are around him or in better positions. You play with him, why would you bother to keep running beyond him into the box when you know the return ball just will not come?

Give me Lambert any day.

[danperkins]

I am just calling it as I see it; if there was notable effort he would earn some slack from fans but he just looked too half arsed and that for me is simply unforgivable no matter who the player is.

Aye he does a few bursts alright but he does spend a lot of time moping around, which to be fair is what he's aways done. He has a strange demeanour. I was never expecting work rate from him to be honest but his decision making has been so bad. When we break forward and in full flow, you have Henderson,Sterling & Lallana bursting forward into areas in the box. When we break and Baloteli gets the ball he just keeps making the wrong decisions & moves slow up or break down. It takes everything away from our counter attacking game.

The balance all over the pitch is off though.