In the course of two months, Liverpool have sold one hotheaded striker and signed another. Luis Suarez’s temper may have gotten him into trouble, but he still played at a high level. On the other hand, Balotelli only looked petulant as he under performed.
In a nutshell, Liverpool have signed a player from AC Milan that has averaged 11.5 goals in league play over the last four seasons. His best season in that time was last year for the Rossoneri. It is likely Balotelli will chip in around ten goals for Liverpool next season. However, nothing is a sure thing with the Italian.
But with Balotelli now in the fold, what does that do to Daniel Sturridge? The English striker has been on a tear since arriving at Liverpool and Balotelli’s presence seems likely to undermine Sturridge. Balotelli’s arrival at Milan was partially blamed for the decrease in goal production and lack of form shown by Stephan El Shaarawy. It’s likely the same could happen on Merseyside to Sturridge.
It should be remembered that Balotelli’s goal production has never seen the striker score more than 14 goals in a league campaign. Again, last season was his best year in that department with those previously mentioned 14 goals. The Italian didn’t even crack the top ten in the Serie A race for the 2013/14 Capocannoniere.
Balotelli’s European performances weren’t much better, but Liverpool will be hoping the Italian can take the pressure off of Sturridge and can be their leader in this season Champions League. That’s a tall order for Balotelli, who has always shown a lack of leadership.
It must be said, Liverpool were desperate to sign a striker. The club had been linked to Samuel Eto’o, but the Cameroonian’s wage demands were too high in the club’s opinion. In comparison to Eto’o, Balotelli is a much better signing in terms of youth and potential. In spite of Eto’o’s pedigree, last season with Chelsea showed Eto’o is past his prime.
Liverpool did get a good deal for Balotelli as the Reds paid €20 million for him. For a 24-year-old with Balotelli’s ability and potential, that is a steal. Unfortunately, Balotelli hasn’t been able to harness much of that potential and has regularly run in conflict with his coaches. Even Roberto Mancini, the man that thought he could collar Balotelli, couldn’t do get him in line at Manchester City. Milan, a club known for calming the hottest headed players, were incapable, too. So what does Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool expect from the Italian?
Liverpool would be naive if they believe they can change Balotelli. Liverpool already possess a very capable side, getting Balotelli to fit into the side will be difficult. Getting Balotelli to fit into the team mentally will be even harder over the course of a full season.
There’s no doubting Balotelli has all the talent in the world. Unfortunately, that has been said since 2007. Rodger’s immediate task now will be to get Balotelli integrated into the side and keep him interested; something he wasn’t at all times during his time with Manchester City or Milan.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @CalcioFarmer.
