Clown Prince Mario Balotelli is set to return to these shores following an 18-month stint back in his homeland with Milan despite categorically stating he ‘hated’ this country’s weather, food and culture when he left Manchester City under a cloud after a troubled three years at the Etihad.
However, Liverpool have agreed a £16m fee with the Rossoneri and Mario himself has already completed both parts of his medical at the Melwood training complex ahead of an expected confirmation of the switch tomorrow.
It’s not quite clear whether he is returning because he misses the standard of competition on offer in the Premier League, or if the reported £120,000 per week wage has turned his head. Whatever the reasons behind his unexpected arrival at Anfield, it represents the last real chance for the Italian striker to finally cement his position as one of the world’s best.
The long list of problems during his last stay in the north-west are well documented and, in his eyes, ancient history. He’ll hope to join the Reds with a clean slate and an opportunity to show his true worth under the intense spotlight that awaits him. Whether that is realistic is another question altogether.
Media and rival fans alike will be waiting patiently for Balotelli to blow up at one point or another; if and when he does, they will pounce on him with a vengeance. He must display a new-found maturity in keeping a level head in the face of such pressure, so that he may be as useful as possible to Liverpool in their quest for success both domestically and in Europe.
Brendan Rodgers has decided to take an apparent gamble by pursuing the transfer of the fiery former Inter man, but he is the right manager to tame the 24-year-old. He appears from the outside to look after his players, backing them to the hilt in public and avoiding confrontation with them whenever possible.
That ‘arm around the shoulder’ approach will no doubt placate Balotelli should he lose focus at any point and will, hopefully for Liverpool’s sake, keep any clashes behind closed doors. The last thing any club needs is for a training ground bust-up - of which Mario has been involved in several - to be splashed all over the back pages of newspapers as occurred between Roberto Mancini and he during their tumultuous working relationship.
Balotelli possesses a huge amount of talent and certainly knows where the goal is, as evidenced by 26 league goals in Serie A over the short time he spent back at the San Siro. Now, it is up to him to channel all energies into performing to the height of his ability on the field without all of the crazy shenanigans that he got up to in Manchester.
Above all, he must realise it’s about time that he grew up and that he must start to act in a professional manner; after all, he’s being paid handsomely to do so.
Should he get a regular gig for Rodgers’ side once the transfer is completed, then he is likely to benefit greatly from the attack-minded way in which the Merseysiders set about their business. With Sterling one side and Sturridge the other, the Azzurri star will have all of the ammunition he requires to fire Liverpool to glory.
Without doubt, what we can say for sure is that it’ll be interesting!
Twitter: @davewh1980
No comments:
Post a Comment