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

[alonso14]

He's not even a target man mate. They stay central. He does drift wide. He's a second striker in every sense of the word who likes to go make things happen. He's the Gerrard of the strikers if you like. Not really much use at playing a disciplined role and needs to be given license to roam.

I think he's a good player with a partner like Sturridge. But he's not a lone front man. Rodgers is trying to get him to change his game, but it's taking time.

His old coach said quite clearly he couldn't lead the line by himself. He cant play up front by himself. If this is a surprise to our transfer team they need replacing.

David Fallows and co have done everything they said they wouldn't. Theyve done a spurs.

[G]

The scouts aren't the ones picking him on his own up front.

[Slinky Skills]

He was awful again yesterday.

All he ever seems to do is take the ball wide, try and drag it from foot to foot being a smart arse thinking he has the skills to outfox a defender and they then either tackle him, he falls to the ground like a fadge or the ball goes out of play for a throw.

He's the master of slowing everything down, whenever he's on ball he reminds of Neo in the Matrix slowing everything around him down.

[Boogs]

Eh?
He had to come back to the midfield position to collect the ball and try and make something happen because they couldn't get the ball to him. The service he got was piss poor. I thought he played as well as anyone in our side yesterday. Some people clearly are expecting miracles from the fella.

[DannyMan2006]

The scouts aren't the ones picking him on his own up front.

But they recommended we buy him when it was clearly obvious what we needed.

Strikers win you games and that's been the same since the game started. Last season we had Suarez, Sturridge and Aspas. Three strikers and that was without European competition. We lost two this summer and IMO we should have signed a minimum of three. Lambert was a sensible plan b option on the face of it. A low risk low priced signing.

But other than Lambert, the other two signed should have been identikit to a Sturridge/Suarez style. Balotelli is nothing like those two. And the two signed should have been able to lead the line alone, which Balo has clearly struggled with up to now.

IMO the summer is where this season has gone wrong.

[DannyMan2006]

Eh?
He had to come back to the midfield position to collect the ball and try and make something happen because they couldn't get the ball to him. The service he got was piss poor. I thought he played as well as anyone in our side yesterday. Some people clearly are expecting miracles from the fella.

We need miracles.

Gerrard no longer gets goals other than set pieces.
Allen never scores.

Henderson has showed signs of improving, same as Coutinho, but I wouldn't even put them down as getting to double figures in the league. Sterling I would, but he'd be lucky to get more than 15.

Not enough goals in that line up yesterday. Goals win games. But the reason the above lot don't score often, same as Mario, is they don't get in enough scoring positions. They don't break the lines from deep. It's not even rocket science. You just have to make runs beyond Mario or arrive late when he's on the ball. They don't do that.

So when whoever gets the ball from the keeper onwards, there is no options to pass too. And that won't be changing anytime soon. At least when Sturridge gets back he'll stretch the play a bit and create a bit more room.

[Boogs]

We need miracles.

Gerrard no longer gets goals other than set pieces.
Allen never scores.

Henderson has showed signs of improving, same as Coutinho, but I wouldn't even put them down as getting to double figures in the league. Sterling I would, but he'd be lucky to get more than 15.

Not enough goals in that line up yesterday. Goals win games. But the reason the above lot don't score often, same as Mario, is they don't get in enough scoring positions. They don't break the lines from deep. It's not even rocket science. You just have to make runs beyond Mario or arrive late when he's on the ball. They don't do that.

So when whoever gets the ball from the keeper onwards, there is no options to pass too. And that won't be changing anytime soon. At least when Sturridge gets back he'll stretch the play a bit and create a bit more room.

[G]

But they recommended we buy him when it was clearly obvious what we needed.

Strikers win you games and that's been the same since the game started. Last season we had Suarez, Sturridge and Aspas. Three strikers and that was without European competition. We lost two this summer and IMO we should have signed a minimum of three. Lambert was a sensible plan b option on the face of it. A low risk low priced signing.

But other than Lambert, the other two signed should have been identikit to a Sturridge/Suarez style. Balotelli is nothing like those two. And the two signed should have been able to lead the line alone, which Balo has clearly struggled with up to now.

IMO the summer is where this season has gone wrong.

All begs the question is Brendan really the one with the final say on these things given he categorically didn't want him two weeks previous and now uses him in anyway that he's not suited to.

[baitman]

i would rather we signed danny welbeck instead of mario.

i would even have prefered us to sign a danny welbeck lookalike rather than mario.

[Lecter]

But they recommended we buy him when it was clearly obvious what we needed.

Strikers win you games and that's been the same since the game started. Last season we had Suarez, Sturridge and Aspas. Three strikers and that was without European competition. We lost two this summer and IMO we should have signed a minimum of three. Lambert was a sensible plan b option on the face of it. A low risk low priced signing.

But other than Lambert, the other two signed should have been identikit to a Sturridge/Suarez style. Balotelli is nothing like those two. And the two signed should have been able to lead the line alone, which Balo has clearly struggled with up to now.

IMO the summer is where this season has gone wrong.

This post seems to be absolving Brendan of all blame I cant wear that and dont buy it

We targetted Sanchez is he capable of leading the line on his own?
We signed Lambert and Balotelli neither of whom are capable of playing the lone striker role
Loic Remy is probably the nearest capable of this and I wouldnt class him as proficient either

All in all the whole plan both in terms of transfers AND tactics, system going forward looks a complete ****ing mess and we are rightly reaping what we sowed

Sadly unless Brendan changes tact hes going to come under severe pressure and once you are in that position its almost inevitable what will happen

[inijjer]

This post seems to be absolving Brendan of all blame I cant wear that and dont buy it

We targetted Sanchez is he capable of leading the line on his own?
We signed Lambert and Balotelli neither of whom are capable of playing the lone striker role
Loic Remy is probably the nearest capable of this and I wouldnt class him as proficient either

All in all the whole plan both in terms of transfers AND tactics, system going forward looks a complete ****ing mess and we are rightly reaping what we sowed

Sadly unless Brendan changes tact hes going to come under severe pressure and once you are in that position its almost inevitable what will happen

I don't think Sturridge can lead the line on his own.

[Lecter]

We need miracles.

Gerrard no longer gets goals other than set pieces.
Allen never scores.

Henderson has showed signs of improving, same as Coutinho, but I wouldn't even put them down as getting to double figures in the league. Sterling I would, but he'd be lucky to get more than 15.

Not enough goals in that line up yesterday. Goals win games. But the reason the above lot don't score often, same as Mario, is they don't get in enough scoring positions. They don't break the lines from deep. It's not even rocket science. You just have to make runs beyond Mario or arrive late when he's on the ball. They don't do that.

So when whoever gets the ball from the keeper onwards, there is no options to pass too. And that won't be changing anytime soon. At least when Sturridge gets back he'll stretch the play a bit and create a bit more room.

We dont create enough to even worry about goalscoring positions

Keep saying it but our strength last year was turning possession high up the pitch and counterattacking quickly. We dont press high anymore and thats not just about Suarez being gone, without pressure high up the pitch we are starting deep our play then is ponderous by which time every man and his dog is behind the ball

We have reverted back to the slow death by football game of his first season and imo that didnt wotk first time round so I cant understand why he tries it again. He found a system that worked last season, yet has tore it up to go back to what didnt work the first season

Really really frustrating

[RichC]

We dont create enough to even worry about goalscoring positions

Keep saying it but our strength last year was turning possession high up the pitch and counterattacking quickly. We dont press high anymore and thats not just about Suarez being gone, without pressure high up the pitch we are starting deep our play then is ponderous by which time every man and his dog is behind the ball

We have reverted back to the slow death by football game of his first season and imo that didnt wotk first time round so I cant understand why he tries it again. He found a system that worked last season, yet has tore it up to go back to what didnt work the first season

Really really frustrating

Perhaps he believes without Sturrdige the two up top doesn't work hence not playing it, remember he sees how the players work and interact with each other on a daily basis.

It does look however we missed a trick on the signings up front for this season.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I don't think Sturridge can lead the line on his own.

At the start of last season when Suarez was suspended, Sturridge lead the line
for a number of games. It would not be ideal, but the guy has the talent to do so when used that way

Us playing with two up front/using the diamond did not really kick in until later on when Suarez was back.

[Lecter]

I don't think Sturridge can lead the line on his own.

Neither do I

Which is why I worry if his intention was to revert back to that old system

Hes looked to sign and signed players who cant play the lone striker roles to add to an existing striker who cant play that role yet still implements a change in system to a lone striker