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Mario Balotelli is one of the most talented and intuitive strikers of a football you will ever see. However following his 17 million pound move to Liverpool his much publicised fall from form has seen many forget just how super Mario can be.
The Italian striker has always been the image of self-confidence throughout his swift rise to prominence, first as one of the world’s most promising forward prospects, and then a world class striker in his own right during his time at Inter Milan, Manchester City and AC Milan.
Conversely, during his tenures at each of these clubs his poor attitude towards his football and overall immature demeanour has seen him make negative headlines all over the world, and eventually been the cause of his sale on each occasion.
It is these exact traits which have seen him fizzle in a Liverpool shirt this season. Lumped with the unenviable task of replacing equally controversial 30-goal striker Luis Suarez, Balotelli has showcased the undeniable fact that a player simply cannot succeed at the top level if he doesn’t have the right mentality, regardless of his natural ability.
Mario has always been a goalscorer – wherever he has ventured goals have followed – however his damagingly blasé attitude towards his work at the Reds has seen his output halted almost completely and his presence become a huge burden on his teammates.
A footballer must be able to trust his natural abilities, there is no denying that, however when a player attempts to rest on his laurels then a situation like this is bound to emerge. Balotelli simply does not work hard enough. He is an inverse striker to the man he was meant to replace.
Suarez worked tirelessly, always dropping into his own half to collect the ball and providing an undying lust for possession and goals. On the other hand, Balotelli fails to work hard in defence, or at all for that matter. He hangs around at halfway waiting for his teammates to hand him the ball so he can attempt to find the net, and if he fails, as has been the case almost exclusively since his arrival in August, his head drops.
This is all down to the attitude of the Italian. His ego prevents him from being a team player and results in an “I’ll score next time” attitude, which must be replaced with a hunger to work harder both in training and on the pitch. Brendan Rodgers must find a way to motivate not-so-super Mario if the Reds are to succeed in the absence of first choice striker Daniel Sturridge. In the meantime he continues to be a liability in the squad and just brings the atmosphere down.
In order for Brendan to crack the Balotelli conundrum, Mario must grow up and correct his attitude to his football. Is he capable of this, or will his career peter out in an equally inglorious fashion to the way his time at Liverpool has begun? Only time will tell.
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