Liverpool’s tenth signing this summer is a monumental one whichever way you look at it. Sky Italia’s Mario Sconcerti has astutely observed that the curious thing about Mario Balotelli is his ability to prompt champagne corks to pop both when he arrives at and leaves a club – but Brendan Rodgers, seemingly unaware of the dramatic irony, has lauded the fiery superstar’s conviction in his own abilities above all else:
“There’s excitement about him coming in. As a coach, I’m really looking forward to working with him. One thing he doesn’t lack is confidence; he’s got that self-belief and football arrogance when he’s on the field. All of the big teams and best teams have that. There are no big egos in our squad, this is a group that has been successful, improved and got to the Champions League in the last couple of years because they are a team. He knows he needs to fit into that.”
THE HISTORY
Balotelli started his professional career with two appearances for Lumazzane before undergoing an unfruitful trial at Barcelona. Snapped up by Roberto Mancini for Inter back in 2007, Balotelli soon found himself in the first team but his disciplinary record started to slip after Mancini departed. A failure to maintain a rapport with new boss Jose Mourinho saw Balotelli edged onto the periphery and, after serving up 20 goals in 59 appearances, he moved to Man City in the summer of 2010 to be re-acquainted with mentor Mancini.
A litany of on and off-field misdemeanours followed. Whether he was attending a press conference, scoring or getting off the coach in a funny hat, pageantry was never far behind. Balotelli never became a first team regular, with Sergio Aguero impossible to displace, but had a sterling scoring record given his limited appearances (20 goals in 53 games).
Fantasy-wise, the Italian international never broke the 100-point barrier in his time at City but his most successful season (2011/12) produced 13 goals and two Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assists over 1,326 minutes – roughly 6.5 points for every 90 minutes on the pitch. He also picked up four red cards and 11 yellows in his two-and-a-half-year spell at the Etihad, but perhaps more worryingly for Liverpool and Fantasy managers alike, only managed four FPL assists.
Balotelli’s move to Milan in 2013 also provided decent statistics. In 18 months he scored 27 goals including a spectacular 30-yard, 109 km/h free kick against Livorno in December 2013. His off-field stunts were too much for the Milanese to bear, though, and he found himself surplus to requirements this summer.
Balotelli’s international career has been decent. Having spurned the chance to play for Ghana, he obtained Italian citizenship and has 13 goals in 33 caps to his name. He was the Azzurri’s first-choice striker at the World Cup, having established himself at Euro 2012 and, of course, scored the winner against England in the group stages.
THE PROSPECTS
Balotelli is an explosive forward who promises fireworks (literally) everywhere he goes. The overwhelming relief felt by Milan regarding his sale is yet to produce even a hint of buyer’s remorse at Anfield, though, and at 10.0 in FPL, if he can become a regular starter for the high-scoring Reds, he could be a Fantasy bargain.
Nonetheless, the reality is that, at present, there’s a lot of uncertainty as to whether he will slot into Rodgers’ system. Going back to his tenure at Swansea, high intensity and strong work ethics have been integral to his methods – Balotelli is certainly intense but his work ethic leaves much to be desired.
It is also unclear how he will line up with Sturridge. With Luis Suarez gone, Liverpool have opted to play the Englishman as a lone striker but Super Mario’s arrival could see Liverpool revert to the 4-1-2-1-2 with which they had so much success last season, with Raheem Sterling fielded at the tip of the midfield diamond. Such a scenario could diminish the playing time of Philippe Coutinho, who was substituted after 59 minutes against Manchester City – and with £25 million-man Adam Lallana yet to kick a ball, there are more questions than answers resulting from the transfer.
One matter that is unlikely to change for Liverpool is their incumbent penalty taker. Skipper Steven Gerrard has been entrusted with spot-kicks for years and is unlikely to be replaced, even by someone with a record as immense as Balotelli’s. Further analysis of the stats indicates this is particularly bad news for Balotelli’s Fantasy prospects. While he does produce goals from open play and scores the odd free-kick, 24 of his 86 strikes have been penalties, including five of his 20 Premier League goals.
The contrast with Suarez is inevitable and, while most strikers would pale in comparison to Suarez’s production, Balotelli is certainly no exception. The Uruguayan scored 0.63 goals per appearance during his time in England compared to Balotelli’s 0.37 and also managed to be a legendary Fantasy player without ever scoring a penalty. Suarez also blew Balotelli away in terms of last season’s numbers. He produced more shots (5.5 to 5.1), key passes (2.6 to 1.1) and chances created (2.6 to 1.3) per match than the Italian. The new boy’s chance conversion rate (13.3%) last season was also inferior to Suarez’ 17.1%.
Balotelli is a fascinating player who will undoubtedly provide great entertainment this season but it’s too early to say whether Rodgers can bring out the best in him. He has the potential to slot into a potent attack, and at 1.5 cheaper than Sturridge, could prove great value. With Sterling at 8.6 in midfield, though, many may choose to overlook the new boy to begin with, but with an excellent set of fixtures from Gameweek 4 onwards, he certainly has the platform to quickly make his mark.
