Mario Balotelli

[RazorBack]

Can we buy Suarez back? 

[Baltar]

Struggling to see what he offers. No pace, no movement, no trickery, no effort, not a team player, nothing. 

For me, Lambert and/or Borini start every game until Sturridge returns.

[The Golden Eel]

Nothing. He offers nothing. He's shit at everything. Seriously

[Mark M]

Struggling to see what he offers. No pace, no movement, no trickery, not a team player, nothing.

For me, Lambert and/or Borini start every game until Sturridge returns.

This. I'm sick of hearing excuses that he's not performing because of no one up front with him. the most clueless looking striker I've ever seen. Even carroll had moments of doing something this clown is stealing a wage.

[Phoenix]

Never seen a big name player as raw as this lad.

 

Somebody teach him the offside rule please.

 

He has been living off the hype over the last five years rather than training and looking to improve.

 

The man is a myth.

[Faustus]

I'm honestly baffled as to how he got a reputation as 'world class' or potentially world class' in the first place.

[ZonkoVille77]

Sold a pup.

Fuckin shite

[magicrat]

The problem is not Mario Balotelli , he was hardly and unknown quantity, The problem is the idiots at Liverpool Football club that decided after saying he wasn't a target to the go out and buy him in desperation . Even more mental when you consider Remy was flown out to the States to sign a contract . To top it all it was all spun as a bargain signing and we were getting a world class player for a snip. 

[The Golden Eel]

I'm honestly baffled as to how he got a reputation as 'world class' or potentially world class' in the first place.

I'm going to say this is based on people seeing him play a couple of good games and score a couple of belters. There's no way he'll ever be anything close to world class as he's lacking in basic football skills and intelligence

[Trumo]

Struggling to see what he offers. No pace, no movement, no trickery, no effort, not a team player, nothing. 

For me, Lambert and/or Borini start every game until Sturridge returns.

 

I wouldn't say he's making no effort as such, rather that he's playing in a way that means he's neither posing a threat to the opposition nor getting other players involved in areas where they can hurt the opposition. Borini is much the same except he looks busy.

 

I don't know how soon we should be writing players off, but it's telling that Italian players just do not look good in a Liverpool team. Apart from the circus that surrounds Balotelli and his wayward tendencies on the pitch, my biggest concern was that we just don't have a good record with signing Italian players. It might be the case that we sign the wrong ones but the return on investment is appalling. Consider the evidence:

 

Padelli - granted he was very young but he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights in a dead-rubber match.

 

Dossena - he was a wing back at Udinese with licence to get forward, but was selected as a left back at Liverpool with more defensive responsibilities. Maybe Rafa filling his head with tactical information just confused the fuck out of him, but it doesn't explain why he looked like he was running in treacle.

 

Aquilani - it was clear from the off that he didn't actually want to leave Roma, and he arrived injured anyway. Never settled in England despite very sporadic moments of quality in a few games, and couldn't wait to get back to Serie A.

 

Borini - he puts in a shift but with Liverpool, he never looks like he can actually hurt the opposition. Also seems to be a bit of a bad luck charm in that his spell on loan away from Liverpool coincided with a huge upturn in Liverpool's form.

[Mr T]

He's the worst world class player I have seen. Remember Rodger's extolling his virtues before the will-we-won't-we shenanigans? The man has the worst eye for a player than any other manager I know.

[Faustus]

DimReaper, I'm inclined to agree, mate. Even at City, though, I thought he was fucking shite. I just saw someone who lacked basic intelligence and went around with a titty lip all game. Whenever he turned up at Anfield in a City shirt and I'd see him in the flesh, he stunk the place out, yet people still went on about him being a top player.

 

The one and only game I've seen him live up to the billing was that Italy v Germany Euros semi final, where he was fucking unreal.

 

Admittedly, I didn't see him play once for Milan, so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he's fucking awful.

[Grinch]

I wouldn't say he's making no effort as such, rather that he's playing in a way that means he's neither posing a threat to the opposition nor getting other players involved in areas where they can hurt the opposition. Borini is much the same except he looks busy.

 

I don't know how soon we should be writing players off, but it's telling that Italian players just do not look good in a Liverpool team. Apart from the circus that surrounds Balotelli and his wayward tendencies on the pitch, my biggest concern was that we just don't have a good record with signing Italian players. It might be the case that we sign the wrong ones but the return on investment is appalling. Consider the evidence:

 

Padelli - granted he was very young but he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights in a dead-rubber match.

 

Dossena - he was a wing back at Udinese with licence to get forward, but was selected as a left back at Liverpool with more defensive responsibilities. Maybe Rafa filling his head with tactical information just confused the fuck out of him, but it doesn't explain why he looked like he was running in treacle.

 

Aquilani - it was clear from the off that he didn't actually want to leave Roma, and he arrived injured anyway. Never settled in England despite very sporadic moments of quality in a few games, and couldn't wait to get back to Serie A.

 

Borini - he puts in a shift but with Liverpool, he never looks like he can actually hurt the opposition. Also seems to be a bit of a bad luck charm in that his spell on loan away from Liverpool coincided with a huge upturn in Liverpool's form.

 

They're just mostly shite imo.  Fantasy stuff but doubt we'd be saying Italians don't work if we ever signed Nesta, Maldini, De Rossi etc.

[Iceman]

Players being shit for us because of their nationality is not logical. It's more about them being shit, no?

[Faustus]

Exactly. It's like when we signed a load of shite French players under Ged. If we'd have signed Vieira, Petit, Henry and Pires, it wouldn't have been an issue.

[Iceman]

It actually smacks of racism. I'm penning a letter to Jason Roberts forthwith.

 

[ZonkoVille77]

Hades is going to go fuckin nuclear over this

[Trumo]

They're just mostly shite imo.  Fantasy stuff but doubt we'd be saying Italians don't work if we ever signed Nesta, Maldini, De Rossi etc.

 

I actually included this proviso in what I wrote:

 

It might be the case that we sign the wrong ones but the return on investment is appalling.

[KevieG]

He's just a dumb footballer. Doesn't when to run, when to pass, when to shoot.

 

Can't see any future for him here.

 

[Ginny]

Not being funny but I think I actually hate Balotelli.

[eeyore]

I definitely hate balotelli. And lovren, and Johnson.

[The Golden Eel]

I don't hate him as a person but I hate him as a player.

[The Golden Eel]

Sorry, I'm pissed right but it's ironic that people said Balotelli has a bad attitude, he's lazy, etc, etc, and I did too but you couldn't fault his effort I don't think. The problem is much more fundamental. He can't do basic things that you'd expect of a professional footballer. He's not a cunt imo, he's just mind-blowingly shite. He can't pass two yards. He can't link up play. He can't say onside. He rarely gets into the box and when he does his positioning is laughable. He misses simple chances. He always wants to shoot when there are better options. So frustrating

[ZonkoVille77]

DR I think you're right.

He's just a crap shit footballer.

[LFC 6 Times]

He's a lovely fella and his hearts in the right place, but he just isn't a footballer, his celebrity is dwindling now as his lack of ability becomes more and more apparent.