Rodgers: "Mario is trying to work hard on aspects of the game we demand here. He needs to improve his goal return."
Mario Balotelli
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It seems easy for many to jump on him as the whole team is playing shite. Granted he's not set the world on fire yet, but he's going to need time, and SERVICE. He's the easy scapegoat for the majority at the moment.
I guess it'd be a different story if the team was playing marvellously and he was sticking out like a sore thumb and the only one playing shit, but that's not the case.
Some predictable over the top reactions.
So he's not Suarez? Who knew.
I'd daresay the lack of goals could be attributed to him being served up seven spoonfuls of shite service most weeks. He's not really blown me away like, but his touch is good, he can receive it with back to goal, he's getting in the box, he's fucking furious that he's not scoring which is always reassuring, and I believe he will get better with time.
We play markedly different football to whatever he was doin at AC Milan. We play wildly fucking different to Mancini's Man City side, and we have given him completely zero support. I could count on two fingers the decent chances he's been served up in his last half a dozen games. 'He can't create something out of nothing!!!' Suarez was the exception folks, not the rule. We haven't got another one of him, and to expect Balotelli, or fucking anyone to be him, is frankly ridiculous. We need to move on from that quicksmart.
As far as I'm aware he's always played his best football in either a 2-up-top side (his tandem with Aguero seemed to work) or sides that just park 10 behind the ball and then pile forward when there's a set piece or a cross (Italy).
I'd give him time, a partner, and better service before I'd be throwing him completely under the bus. I'd personally be thankful if he just stopped rolling around on his arse for 5 minutes. And my own view is that he's got too caught up in trying to demonstrate to Brodge, the critics, and the fans that he can work hard, is a team player, isn't a lazy shite, etc that it's actually working to the detriment of his natural game. The Balotelli I used to watch wouldn't have broken sweat in 90 minutes, but he's have scored one out of his cock, and then swagged about for the other 89 minutes trying to get sent off. He seems to me to not be playing his natural game.
Just let him go Brodge, tell him to do whatever the fuck he wants. I get the impression from Brodge and us, the fans, that we're trying to get him to be another Suarez. He won't be that. We bought the leopard and are asking it to change it's spots.
Just let him go.
So he's not Suarez? Who knew.
I'd daresay the lack of goals could be attributed to him being served up seven spoonfuls of shite service most weeks. He's not really blown me away like, but his touch is good, he can receive it with back to goal, he's getting in the box, he's fucking furious that he's not scoring which is always reassuring, and I believe he will get better with time.
We play markedly different football to whatever he was doin at AC Milan. We play wildly fucking different to Mancini's Man City side, and we have given him completely zero support. I could count on two fingers the decent chances he's been served up in his last half a dozen games. 'He can't create something out of nothing!!!' Suarez was the exception folks, not the rule. We haven't got another one of him, and to expect Balotelli, or fucking anyone to be him, is frankly ridiculous. We need to move on from that quicksmart.
As far as I'm aware he's always played his best football in either a 2-up-top side (his tandem with Aguero seemed to work) or sides that just park 10 behind the ball and then pile forward when there's a set piece or a cross (Italy).
I'd give him time, a partner, and better service before I'd be throwing him completely under the bus. I'd personally be thankful if he just stopped rolling around on his arse for 5 minutes. And my own view is that he's got too caught up in trying to demonstrate to Brodge, the critics, and the fans that he can work hard, is a team player, isn't a lazy shite, etc that it's actually working to the detriment of his natural game. The Balotelli I used to watch wouldn't have broken sweat in 90 minutes, but he's have scored one out of his cock, and then swagged about for the other 89 minutes trying to get sent off. He seems to me to not be playing his natural game.
Just let him go Brodge, tell him to do whatever the fuck he wants. I get the impression from Brodge and us, the fans, that we're trying to get him to be another Suarez. He won't be that. We bought the leopard and are asking it to change it's spots.
Just let him go.
Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers calls for Mario Balotelli to improve after Champions League defeat to Basle
Liverpool manager is running out of patience with his £16 million striker and says 'he needs to improve'
Off target: Mario Balotelli has scored only one goal so far for Liverpool Photo: REUTERS
By Chris Bascombe
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted Mario Balotelli is not living up to expectations since his £16 million move but issued a robust defence of the decision to sign the Italian striker.
It has taken just over a month for Balotelli’s Liverpool honeymoon to end, as Rodgers openly called on the centre-forward to start scoring and creating more to end an Anfield slump.
In the absence of the injured Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool’s tame Champions League defeat in Basle brought Balotelli’s minimal contribution into sharper focus.
There are already signs that patience is wearing thin as the hope that the 24-year-old’s performances would make up for any off-field eccentricities has not yet come to pass.
“I think in terms of goals, he needs to improve. It is as simple as that,” said Rodgers. “Any striker, not just him, is judged on his goals and the number of assists you make. At this moment he has not hit the numbers he will have wanted.
“And over the course of the team that is the same. We need to return to being the team that has brought us success over the last 18 months. When confidence is low, a little bit low in a team, it can become more about the individual but that is not what we are about. We are about the function of the team and when we work to that principle we are at our best.
“In terms of his behaviour since he came in the boy is consciously trying to work hard at the aspects of the game that we would demand here. In terms of the intensity and that work-rate.”
Rodgers is in a difficult position, neither wanting to criticise the player too much in public - he desperately needs to inspire an improved performance out of him until Sturridge is fit - but also unable to disguise the disappointment at such a poor return. As many predicted when Balotelli signed, it is in danger of becoming a man-management nightmare.
Liverpool look static and toothless in attack, and the permanent entourage and publicity surrounding Balotelli - which the Merseyside club vowed to deal with upon signing him - already seems to be causing some frustration.
The issue for the club extends beyond Balotelli, however. Given Liverpool had a year to prepare for the possible departure of Luis Suárez, questions are being asked as to whether there should have been more done to ensure a more adequate, ready-made replacement was available.
Liverpool turned to Balotelli after a deal for Loic Remy - who had a history of previous problems with club medicals - broke down. There was a sense of desperation to recruit a striker as the transfer window was closing, which is strange given how important it was for the club to fill the considerable void left by Suárez.
Asked if this demonstrates a flaw in the recruitment process, Rodgers said: “I wouldn’t say that. There are very few players who can replace Suárez, actually there are no players who can replace Suárez.
“When you look at the availability of other players during the summer it was something that was difficult for us. It’s no good now I know but we took a player in Divock Origi [from Lille] who we believe will be world-class and we’ll get him next summer. He is a top player. He has everything. The speed, the profile and so on. He can play now but our deal was that we cannot bring him in yet and that was unfortunate because he can run in behind defenders, he can keep the ball, he can press and he can run. But that was part of the deal.
“I think there were very few who are top-class who were available and Mario Balotelli was a calculated gamble that we had to try and work with.”
Other Liverpool signings were said to ‘fit the profile’ but in Balotelli’s case there have been concerted efforts to change his game to adapt to the Rodgers system. So far it is not working.
Rodgers added: “You analyse and assess what the group had and we brought Rickie Lambert in as someone who can play some games for us and come off the bench and be an impact player. Daniel is a top Premier League player but he has shown during his time here that he does get injuries so we needed to prepare for that.
“Obviously Fabio Borini looked like he was on his way out. We’d had attempts for other strikers that didn’t materialise for one reason or another so it left us right at the end of the window with a decision of whether just to go with what we had, which experience told us we were well too light, or to take a calculated risk on a player who has quality. Then it was could we get it out of him consistently?
“I always said it was about availability and affordability of players. Mario was the one right at the very end who was available for that.
“I said when he came in that it was a calculated risk and it’s something I have to work on to try to make it work for the team.”
I don't really like the way Rodgers is talking about this, almost seems like he's writing Balotelli off in public.
I really dont want rodgers to go all benitez
Yep, and from that article it reads as though he's covering his own arse in case it goes tits up.
Yes, it was the main thing that really riled me in his first season. When he feels the pressure, he spreads the blame. He dropped that last season, but now it's creeping back. He'll grow out of it, he'll calm down, but this is what comes from learning on the job. This season looks like being one long painful learning curve.
Every manager complains about transfers when they've started to question their ability to build what they need with existing materials. I'm not sure Balotelli is the type to respond well to this.
Mario will want to leave in Jan. That's what he does when he's unhappy.
Shit. Kinda reminds me of myself really, cos I'm also very unhappy at my current workplace.
Shit. Kinda reminds me of myself really, cos I'm also very unhappy at my current workplace.
I've not been anti-Balo at all, but he is really starting to piss me off. It's not the service that's the issue, it's that he doesn't make the runs into the channels, that he doesn't seem to know the offside rule (or can't be arsed getting back onside quickly) and just can not dribble his way past 2-3 defenders - which he tries to do far too often. Those errors alone mean our attacks are breaking down far far too often, and much more than they should. You can put some blame on the team but's it's 70-30 in Balo's favour IMHO.
It's not just him, but as two-thirds of a three pronged attack, him and Markovic are the polar opposite of the running and appetite we showed last season. Neither look particularly quick (people keep saying Markovic is, I don't see it), while of them slows the play by holding up the ball and the other doesn't have the fight to keep hold of it, with a rather consistent outcome of either losing it or making completely the wrong decision.
I think Mario might fair better when Sturridge is back, there was promise in the couple of a appearances they made together, but Markovic needs to be eased in, he's doing himself and us no favours.
Yeah we usually only showed that running and appetite for short bursts in a lot of games last season, and just looked awful the rest of the time.
I'm genuinely surprised how many people don't remember how mediocre we were for humongous stretches of games last season. The difference being that we were able to get points against lower table sides, often more than we deserved.
We did it for short bursts? We were the second highest scorers, smashing our previous records, destroying some good teams in 30 minute spells. "We looked awful the rest of the time", seriously WTF?
We played scintillating football and had most people congratulating us on our style. It's not rewriting history, sometimes I swear you act cynical and exaggerate your points for the sake of it.
Barbara "scissors" Bascombe? Regional and national hairdressing champion for 10 years running?
Probably not then.
Don't worry, bowl heads aren't her forte, it's blue rinses all the way.
That'll be Mario's next do.
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