Mario Balotelli (Liverpool -> Nice)

This guy needs to start paying back the money and faith we have invested in him soon or he'll have a hell of a job to become a hero for us. Hasn't got the work rate or ability at the moment that is required of him.

Brendan said he looked him in the eye and seen a player who wanted to work hard and do well. No fooking way will Rodgers drop him after that statement he'd look like a clown

Brendan categorically denied that we were signing him.

Brendan categorically denied that we were signing him.

Yes and then when we did he said what I quoted. His own agent said this is his last chance I think that's why we thought this might work that he might at last give his head a wobble but no hes a shitehawk

He is a quality player, and it shows with how he controls the ball and his first touch, but he is never a Liverpool type of player, he cannot play up top on his own and isn't suited to our system.

Maybe with Sturridge back we will see a better Balotelli

I don't know if that's my opinion too, but it is my hope. And I'll continue to support him and hope he comes good because really what alternative do we have.

We could slag him off every time he plays. I have done that with Borini and that seems to have worked o.k.

Absolutely. Doesn't have the work rate. Doesn't have the desire. I can think of just one touch when he brought a long ball down. And, that's about it.

He will provide the glamour to all the rent boys. Not for us, not a Liverpool player at all!

We could slag him off every time he plays. I have done that with Borini and that seems to have worked o.k.

We could slag him off every time he plays. I have done that with Borini and that seems to have worked o.k.

I have yet to post a single positive thing about Borini but I would take him over Balotelli every day of the week

Pathetic people are blaming him tonight.

Pathetic people are blaming him tonight.

Partly agree with this. I can see improvements in his game so far with us, but has a long way to go yet I think. But definitely not at fault for our display tonight. I reckon a lot of people will change their tune when Sturridge is back.

If anyone wants to see it here's the shirt swap at half time. I'd have subbed him because of that, and that alone. Not something I like to see... especially at half time.

https://vine.co/v/OhW90rBz5l7

Sure look at Stevie to Arbeloa.

Steven Gerrard won't swap shirts with Arbeloa in front of the Liverpool fans.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/champions-league/11180363/Mario-Balotellis-problems-are-now-impossible-to-hide-and-Liverpool-cannot-afford-to-carry-him-any-longer.html


Bye Bye Mario 

Mario Balotelli's problems are now impossible to hide and Liverpool cannot afford to carry him any longer

Liverpool's £16m gamble on the Italian, which seemed reasonable at the time, has now rebounded and Brendan Rodgers is left with a problem

By Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer, Anfield11:24PM BST 22 Oct 2014 Comments3 Comments

The irresistible brilliance of Real Madrid’s front six was more than Liverpool’’s great European tradition could withstand.

More than Mario Balotelli could be bothered to fight against.

More than Brendan Rodgers’s team can cope with at this point in their redevelopment.
Ripped apart by three Real Madrid goals in 29 minutes after a boisterous start, Liverpool were in a lower solar system: one measured by individual match-winning talent and sheer weight of money.

England’s most successful European Cup club are building, building, towards a future without Luis Suárez.
But resigned is the only way to describe the Anfield crowd as their heroes sought sanctuary in the dressing room and Balotelli chose the most inflammatory moment to swap shirts with Pepe.

The £16 million gamble on Balotelli, which seemed reasonable at the time, has now rebounded on a team in desperate need of Daniel Sturridge, who was missing again with injury.
The less than Super Mario began his Liverpool career with an industrious performance at Spurs but that promise has fizzled out.

Against Queens Park Rangers and again here, he constructed his own private universe, away from toil, away from engagement with his colleagues, free of passion and intensity. Against Real Madrid (against QPR for that matter), a striker simply cannot afford to stand around like Mr Micawber, hoping something will turn up.

At half-time he was gone, with only a Pepe shirt as consolation.

It sums up the perversity of Balotelli’s outlook, you might say, that he ended up with the jersey of Real’s least glamorous player.
The result for Liverpool was that Raheem Sterling was pulled away from his best position – though the centre – to take up the No 9 position, with Adam Lallana in support.
By the interval, the chests of Liverpool’s players were heaving as they found respite at last from the side-to-side rhythms and knifing runs of Real’s attackers.

Madrid are not settling for their décima of European titles.
They were not going to allow the 5-0 aggregate defeat of five years ago to pass unavenged.

Ronaldo was not stopping on 69 Champions League goals. Europe’s champions were not content with seven straight victories and 32 goals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team were not playing the PR game of two great institutions clashing in a cathedral.
They came to wipe out Premier League opposition, however it dressed, however proud it was.
At the kick-off Ronaldo was already ahead of Liverpool’s whole team on goals scored this term. He led 19-17. Within 22 minutes he had moved one behind Raul’s all-time Champions League record haul of 71, with an exquisite lift past Simon Mignolet. It was a kind of velvet finish: soft cruelty, which told Ronaldo’s team-mates that the deluge was on.

Surely Liverpool had never faced such a stockpile of global talent.
The term “front six” is chosen carefully.
With Xabi Alonso now in Germany, Real felt sufficiently emboldened to jog out here without a specialist defensive midfielder. Many back fours would resent such an imbalance of creative players. This one can rest easy, at least against the Premier League’s fifth best team.
Even without the world’s most expensive footballer, Gareth Bale, Real could send out the world’s No 1 player, Ronaldo, in a terrifying six-man pack in front of the back four. Even Luka Modric, the most nominally ‘defensive’ of the bench, can thread and poke dangerous passes. Weaving patterns is how he made his name.
Alongside him in central midfield stood Toni Kroos, a World Cup winner with Germany and the best young player of his type. To the right roamed James Rodríguez, one of the sensations of Brazil 2014, Golden Boot winner and an €80 million (£63 million) purchase this summer. Not forgetting Benzema, who has 40 goals in 68 Champions League appearances and has reached his prime alongside Ronaldo.
Without Bale, Madrid were still able to whistle up Isco, a €30 million (£23.6  million) signing with amazingly adhesive and quick-working feet. Isco tackles like a super-powered crab. And his dribbling, not the quickest, is deceptively incisive. Of the big names in this Real side, only Rodríguez is still struggling to find his role: a product, inevitably, of finding himself in the court of the sun king, Ronaldo.

For Rodgers the Balotelli problem now sits at the top of his in-tray, as he admitted here. Lacking faith in Rickie Lambert at this level, Liverpool’s manager is bound to face dressing room unrest. No group of major players is willing to go carrying passengers.

As the first half hour wore on, resentment seemed to gnaw at Liverpool’s midfielders as Balotelli strolled back towards the action.
Sterling, especially, seemed less than keen to involve him in the work the rest of the team were doing.
This is a big season for Rodgers: his Champions League graduation year. To his left stood one of only two coaches to win three European Cups: Ancelotti, one of six to have also won it as a player.

The only other manager with three titles is well known in these parts:
Bob Paisley, the reluctant genius, as he was known, who maintained a fine tradition of striking fear into Liverpool’s European visitors.
There was no fear in Real after 15 minutes. By the end we saw Ronaldo saved for this weekend’s Clásico, and a hush descend on Anfield.
Real Madrid, who might have pressed for five or six, settled increasingly for three, except on intermittent counter-attacks, where Ronaldo seemed to enter the nervous 70s before being taken off.
The gulf in class was consistent with Liverpool’s current form and Real’s glittering array of artistry.

And the ordeal has not passed. Liverpool must face them again, in the Bernabéu.

Reality has another slap in the face to deliver.

Pathetic people are blaming him tonight.

He wasn't to 'blame' necessarily but he is slowing everything down. This showed when Lallana came on at half time.

Now Lallana was a completely different kettle of fish - he looked zippy, linked up well with the players around him and seemed to be on that wavelength that showed cohesion and foresight in the team attacks. Not to mention his well known pressing abilities up front, he also tracked back well showing some defensive capabilities too. He plays like a real false 9 - that's the way to go until Sturridge comes back.

These are all the things that Balotelli DOESN'T do. Now when one player can't do that, the whole deck of cards comes tumbling down. It's quite noticeable he is not suited to this style of high pressing, high intense, quick and swift interplay game under Rodgers.

There is absolutely no question that he is a detriment to the side causing a great imbalance by stopping attacks by slowing down play, and it's like playing with just 10 men. He needs to be dropped.

Does he need to be sold? Too premature - only if his attitude stinks will that happen, and we may have another Robbie Keane on our hands in that he may get sold in January (though not saying Robbie Keane had an attitude problem) if there is a serious problem. But the management shouldn't say 'you're total sh*t' but instead say 'we're dropping you, so you can gain time to get adapted to our training methods and how we play.'

At the moment, it's like he's playing a completely different game to the rest of them.

He just doesn't suit the team nor is he putting his shift in overall.

Granted he does it well when it comes to winning challenges (if he ever decides to go for the challenge) and holds the ball well but his awareness is piss poor. Early in the game yesterday, stole the ball from a Madrid mistake and had 2 v 2 with Raheem clear on the left but he chose to hold onto the ball only for it to be stolen.

On many occassions as well, plays a sh*te pass and gestures like its the other person's fault for not running and also not being in positions that other players had expected him to be in like what Suarez/Sturridge would.

He is disrupting the game play of our team and it was evident when Lallana played instead of him. To start Balotelli every game now is just a poor call and I have never seen any qualities in him that makes me think he's good enough or can do a job other than his selfishness, individuality, arrogance, etc which aren't something to be proud of.

I was the first to slate him for his performance on Sunday, but for me it seems he's been made a bit of a scapegoat for last nights game. I was stood on the Kop and for me he put in a much improved performance in the first half compared to the QPR match.

I totally agree with sentiments regarding his style doesn't suit our last seasons play, but at the end of the day the powers that be knew that before they spent what they spent on the lad.

Last night his hold up play at times was good, the big problem for me was the lack of options when he had the ball, the same can be said for Sterling our movement was none existent, more often than not players ended up running down blind alleys or playing in back to the cb's or Stevie.

Personally would have preferred him to stay on for the second half, with Lallana (very surprised he didn't start) coming on for Allen or Hendo instead.

Everyone is being completely knee jerk about the shirt swapping thing in all honesty.

It doesnt help with souness and carra being insane at half time..

I was the first to slate him for his performance on Sunday, but for me it seems he's been made a bit of a scapegoat for last nights game. I was stood on the Kop and for me he put in a much improved performance in the first half compared to the QPR match.

I totally agree with sentiments regarding his style doesn't suit our last seasons play, but at the end of the day the powers that be knew that before they spent what they spent on the lad.

Last night his hold up play at times was good, the big problem for me was the lack of options when he had the ball, the same can be said for Sterling our movement was none existent, more often than not players ended up running down blind alleys or playing in back to the cb's or Stevie.

Personally would have preferred him to stay on for the second half, with Lallana (very surprised he didn't start) coming on for Allen or Hendo instead.

Let's hope he does a Henderson and adapts to the style of play eventually.

He is a quality player, and it shows with how he controls the ball and his first touch, but he is never a Liverpool type of player, he cannot play up top on his own and isn't suited to our system.

Maybe with Sturridge back we will see a better Balotelli

We are all hoping the same mate. Just have to get Sturridge fit now and keep him fit. Mario might shine then but I'm afraid it's already too late.

Mario hasn't shown anything since we signed him to suggest he's going to do a job for us however I kind of sympathise with him.

With the exception of Lallana every other one of BR signings have failed to show why they are here and although I agree some will come good in time we simply can not give time to all 8 or 9 of them.
Yet Mario is the one that has every little thing he does analysed and criticised, some of it justified, most of it not. Doesn't help with people like Souness and Redknap constantly blowing everything out of all proportion.

Considering Souness took this club back a generation .and the small mater dismantling a league winning  team  he should be the last to comment  considering thr utter sh*t he brought to the club .

Very convenient that Mario is taking all the sh*t storm away from Rodgers who got it wrong, team,manager all played sh*t after the first goal went in, heads down, no hunger, no shape, no funking idea till little Coutiniho & Lallanna arrived.

Scapegoated like a motherfucker.

I agree he's been scapegoated massively in recent weeks. He's by no means the only one underperforming yet he's the easy target but he just doesn't help himself. I think he's pretty brainless, no game intelligence whatsoever. He reminds me of Djibril Cisse, he had all the physical attributes to be like Thierry Henry but just had no brain at all. Balotelli is very similar. Maybe i'm being harsh, I don't know.

Wherever he goes, the team spirit gets sh*t. He did it at Inter, AC Milan, now he's doing at LFC. He miss a pass and stand blaming a team mate. I did not see a team in first half. When Lallana came in, we did not so much more, but we were a team upfront, running and running and helping each oter, also creating some little danger for Real. I really hoped I was wrong, but I know exactly we were going to this when we signed him in Agust. 6 mln per year, who's the madman who is going to pay that huge salary for this overrated player?