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

[McDermotX]

Crystal clear.

[baronvonskidmark]

He could easily have said the same thing about Lovren though.

[captainfog]

I'd don't know why Rodgers hasn't at least tried to play him up front with a partner. Give Borini or Lambert at run in the side with him. Balo probably had his best game on his debut when he was partnered with Sturridge. It's clearly not working with him up front on his own, so surely a last throw of the dice has to be to play two up top. I think we play our best football with a diamond, anyway. If he's still a bag of ****e then, then it really will be time to look at moving him on.

I wouldn't have signed him because I've never thought he's that good, but he's here now and so we might as well try and get the most out of him. He clearly is incapable of playing the role he has now and so persisting with it is only going to further harm the team and his confidence.

The fact we're in the situation is as baffling as it is frustrating because we've got two other strikers, one of which was signed only this summer. Why isn't Rodgers playing them. Are they that **** in training that despite our striking troubles they can't get a look in!? The Lambert signing is increasingly looking more and more bizarre.

[Daniel 7]

I don't get the Lambert one at all, it seems like he was brought in to be a dressing room presence more than anything else. He looks baffled most of the time when he plays - I've also never seen a Liverpool player who moves so slowly. He looks like a championship player, Liverpool's own Geoff Horsfield.

What the **** was going on with the recruitment over the summer? Hate to say it, but squandered is springing to mind.

[Kenneth]

I'd don't know why Rodgers hasn't at least tried to play him up front with a partner. Give Borini or Lambert at run in the side with him. Balo probably had his best game on his debut when he was partnered with Sturridge. It's clearly not working with him up front on his own, so surely a last throw of the dice has to be to play two up top. I think we play our best football with a diamond, anyway. If he's still a bag of ****e then, then it really will be time to look at moving him on.

I wouldn't have signed him because I've never thought he's that good, but he's here now and so we might as well try and get the most out of him. He clearly is incapable of playing the role he has now and so persisting with it is only going to further harm the team and his confidence.

The fact we're in the situation is as baffling as it is frustrating because we've got two other strikers, one of which was signed only this summer. Why isn't Rodgers playing them. Are they that **** in training that despite our striking troubles they can't get a look in!? The Lambert signing is increasingly looking more and more bizarre.

To play two meh strikers we'd have to leave out one of our genuinely good attaching 'false nines'. Yesterday we went the other way in the second half and played no meh strikers, more of our good players and we looked better.

[Daniel 7]

Didn't look like scoring though, but it was Real Madrid. I'd like to see a starting 11 v Hull similair to the start of the second half v Real.

[Kenneth]

We hit the post. That's basically as good as a goal.

[topscorer]

To play two meh strikers we'd have to leave out one of our genuinely good attaching 'false nines'. Yesterday we went the other way in the second half and played no meh strikers, more of our good players and we looked better.

I would prefer to see us try the no striker option but I don't think we can make a judgement based on the second half.

RM took their foot off the peddle and still had better chances than us to add to the score line.

I'd like to see it tried though.

[captainfog]

To play two meh strikers we'd have to leave out one of our genuinely good attaching 'false nines'. Yesterday we went the other way in the second half and played no meh strikers, more of our good players and we looked better.

I totally get that. But if Rodgers thinks Lambert is a meh striker why did we signing him? If that's the case then what a waste of time and money.

Borini is pretty average but at least he works hard, will press, and will make runs. Someone like that might really help Balo.

[captainfog]

I would prefer to see us try the no striker option but I don't think we can make a judgement based on the second half.

RM took their foot off the peddle and still had better chances than us to add to the score line.

I'd like to see it tried though.

Yeah RM were only in second gear in the second half. Coasting. We didn't learn much from that at all. Other than, I suppose, even with RM taking their foot off the gas we still weren't able to score.

[Kenneth]

Pretty sure Lambert was bought as a cheap last choice striker to fill out the squad. We assumed Borini was going and I suspect we thought we'd be bringing in one or two strikers better than Balotelli. We just didn't, so we are where we are. I hope the lack of £13m for Borini didn't influence the failure.

[Kenneth]

Brendan didn't want Balotelli, he had one or two more expensive alternatives but the club refused to pay up until Borini was sold and the money was in the bank. Borini says he's staying and we panic buy Mario. Brendan is cross, Mario starts badly, Brendan is losing his rag with the situation and starts speaking out.

Now all of that might well be bollocks, it probably is. It might not be though, and if it isn't it could be a sign of a deeper issue. Brendan seems like he could be the kind of guy who would walk away if he isn't satisfied with the club, and come out with "I asked for a table and they brought me a lampshade". I have this niggling feeling that this situation could get worse. It's probably just something I ate though.

[captainfog]

Pretty sure Lambert was bought as a cheap last choice striker to fill out the squad. We assumed Borini was going and I suspect we thought we'd be bringing in one or two strikers better than Balotelli. We just didn't, so we are where we are. I hope the lack of £13m for Borini didn't influence the failure.

Signing Lambert just to make up the numbers is dumb, but probable. I agree with the last bit and especially agree with the last sentence. If Borini is deemed not good enough then we should be buying his replacement regardless of whether he goes. Jeez, it's not as if we had an astronomical net spend already.

I just think the whole thing smacks of muddled thinking by the management team.

[TheElephantMan]

He was a gamble which unfortunately didn't pay off. Would we have been better going for Eto'o or Remy? Probably. We won't lose money on Balotelli, but we might struggle to achieve top four this season now. We couldn't have envisaged losing Sturridge for such a lengthy period. I don't think that Balotelli is a good fit for us, we gave him a chance and he hasn't taken the opportunity. We really need to invest in a top quality striker in January.

[Kenneth]

I think we will lose money on Balotelli. Not getting a top class striker could well cost us a top four place, which would be far more costly than paying the money required to replace our star striker. We seem overly conservative at the moment, it's like we don't want to try the bigger risk bigger potential reward game and are happy to float around the top six. If we were really going to try and push on it would have been last summer. Yeah, we bought some players to try and address some issues with the squad, but it's the worldies that are the real difference between trophies and the also-rans.