Liverpool FC Forum

[only me]

Seems BR is also a gambler..." 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." About Mario....One thing is hate is managers gambling the season away. Rafa did it with Aqua man and now BR admits the same.

[kazza]

Stunning statistic that the Italy striker didn't have ONE touch in the Basel penalty area on Wednesday shows how far he is away from replacing Suarez


Andrew Powell 

Can't get my new 'Telli tuned in: Rodgers continues to work on fitting Balotelli into his system
 

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has bluntly told Mario Balotelli he must do better.

The Italy striker, signed as £16million replacement for Kop idol Luis Suarez in the summer, failed to have a single touch of the ball in the opposition penalty area during the Reds' Champions League defeat by Basel on Wednesday.

Rodgers said: “In terms of goals, Mario needs to improve. It is as simple as that.

“Any striker 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.”

For Rodgers, the talk on Thursday was not of crisis, but of challenge...conveniently, a word often associated with Balotelli.

Just six weeks into the campaign, four defeats already have a club that missed out on the Premier League title by a mere two points in May just three points between themselves and the relegation zone.

Combined with their Champions League travails, it almost defies belief.

The pain of transition, the manager admits, has been harder than anticipated, and the hardest transition of all, has been to replace Suarez.

It is here, in the form of Balotelli, where his biggest challenge comes.

So how does Rodgers solve a problem like Mario?

The manager admits he took a gamble on signing the 24-year-old from AC Milan in the summer, because he had so few alternatives when a deal for QPR striker Loic Remy collapsed on the eve of the season.


He signed the Italian, he said, in the knowledge that he needed a considerable amount of coaching to get him to fit Liverpool’s style, and to produce the sort of movement and desire to get in where it hurts that Suarez delivered consistently.

His failure to get a single touch in the Basel box on Wednesday meant Liverpool’s passing game had nothing to aim at, with no one running in behind, which undermines a major part of their game.

And Rodgers acknowledges that needs addressing urgently, and is even considering replacing Balotelli with Rickie Lambert when West Brom visit Anfield on Saturday.

Rodgers said: “You have to get into those areas. I encourage the strikers to get into the framework of the goal. Wide players to come in and get into the framework of the goal and go and break the lines.

“I think our service arriving in, our quality wasn’t what to the standard should be in the final third. And you have to be able to make and create goals yourself as a front player and he didn’t do that.”

Which begs the question, why sign a player whose game is so different than that required?


Rodgers admits it was a huge gamble, but with time running down on the transfer window, he was persuaded by the quality the player sometimes displays... even if that particular diamond needs some serious polishing.

“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,” Rodgers explained.

“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.

“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 and then could we get it out of him consistently?”

If all that looks a little negligent, given that even as far back as January there was a feeling within the club Suarez may leave.

Mario Balotelli's career in pictures:

Rodgers points to the fact they DID address the problem by signing emerging Belgian star Divock Origi, but were then forced as part of the deal to allow him to remain at Lille on loan for a season.

Until the young centre-forward arrives next summer, the Reds boss has a major challenge in trying to mould Balotelli into someone who can help - not hinder - Liverpool’s style.

On Wednesday night’s evidence, he has a major job on, given the apparent disinterest and detachment of the Italian.

It is though, the Ulsterman insisted, a challenge he relishes, not fears.

“When confidence is a little bit low in team, it can become more about the individual but that is not what we are about,” he explained.


“We are about the function of the team and when we work to that principle we are at our best. We need to return to being a team.

“But it’s an exciting challenge. The last 18 months we’ve been on a magic carpet ride in terms of our performance level and everything improving. It has been fantastic.

“Then there was big change here in the summer and we lost a world class player and had to improve the squad by bringing in a number of players.

"Unfortunately we have lost a number of our key players through injury and it brings us into a little bit of transition.

“Ideally we would have kept the squad we had and adding a few bodies to that to thicken it up, but it wasn’t the case.

“You have to go through some pain along the way and at the moment we are in a difficult moment, we are nowhere near what we have been. But that is the great challenge for myself and the players. We just have to keep it simple and keep to the values and ethics of this team - hard work, honesty.”

With Balotelli, it seems, you are going to at least be guaranteed hard work...though not necessarily on the pitch.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

80% of the squad are playing well below their best and yet he singles out Mario? What about Gerrard? Lovren? Skrtel? Henderson? Coutinho? Sterling? Markovic?
Is Mario the reason we are conceding all these comical goals?
The midfield and defence have been a joke for 18 months and he decides to have a go at a striker who's been here 5 minutes. In fact his mate Borini has been here 2 years and he hasn't aimed one word of criticism his way about his goal scoring record.

[RedAnt]

I'm disappointed in Rodgers. Let's face it, when BR signed Mario he was already paving the way so that he could use the lad as a scapegoat. The way the club has spoken about Balo is as if he's an animal to either be tamed or discarded. I'm not sure he's been made to feel equal like the rest of the squad. Balo isn't a bad lad I'm sure. He's maybe different than a lot of players and requires a different managerial approach but I'm not sure BR is getting it right. He also seems to be trying too hard to show he will work for the side, a very conscious effort rather than a laid back, natural approach.
Fowler wasn't a particularly hard worker but it didn't matter. His job was to score goals and with his laid back cheeky manner, hard work wouldn't have suited him. Could be the same with Balotelli. Just let him play his game.
BR's comments won't have eased the pressure on Mario, that's for sure.

[ballotelliman]

Exactly hes the manager he wanted him now its up to brendan to sort the best system out  for mario to flourish. How many crosses have we had in the box since he arrived.  swap markovic for gerrard or at least borini on the right  and put allen in stevies position. we have nothing in the final third to create chances thats why he doesnt rest sterling  so mario is up there like billy no mates no balls coming in the box chasing flies its a joke

[only me]

Exactly hes the manager he wanted him now its up to brendan to sort the best system out  for mario to flourish. How many crosses have we had in the box since he arrived.  swap markovic for gerrard or at least borini on the right  and put allen in stevies position. we have nothing in the final third to create chances thats why he doesnt rest sterling  so mario is up there like billy no mates no balls coming in the box chasing flies its a joke

Your lad is a lazy goat which doesn't bother running into open spaces thus offering Coutinho and the rest no options to pass...When he does get the ball it's usually final stop always looks for a long range shot or delays the pass...Showed nothing to look for.

[RedAnt]

Exactly hes the manager he wanted him now its up to brendan to sort the best system out  for mario to flourish. How many crosses have we had in the box since he arrived.  swap markovic for gerrard or at least borini on the right  and put allen in stevies position. we have nothing in the final third to create chances thats why he doesnt rest sterling  so mario is up there like billy no mates no balls coming in the box chasing flies its a joke

Your lad is a lazy goat which doesn't bother running into open spaces thus offering Coutinho and the rest no options to pass...When he does get the ball it's usually final stop always looks for a long range shot or delays the pass...Showed nothing to look for.

I'll agree with that, though it's going off topic. Balo's reluctance to pass is frustrating, but I hope in time that as the team gels, he'll pass more. But in his defence, perhaps he simply dosen't 'get' the line striker role. It could be like others have mentioned, that he's more suited to 2 up top. Maybe some weird thing in his brain is telling him to try and score whenever he's got the ball. Simplistic, but possible.

[only me]

Exactly hes the manager he wanted him now its up to brendan to sort the best system out  for mario to flourish. How many crosses have we had in the box since he arrived.  swap markovic for gerrard or at least borini on the right  and put allen in stevies position. we have nothing in the final third to create chances thats why he doesnt rest sterling  so mario is up there like billy no mates no balls coming in the box chasing flies its a joke

Your lad is a lazy goat which doesn't bother running into open spaces thus offering Coutinho and the rest no options to pass...When he does get the ball it's usually final stop always looks for a long range shot or delays the pass...Showed nothing to look for.

I'll agree with that, though it's going off topic. Balo's reluctance to pass is frustrating, but I hope in time that as the team gels, he'll pass more. But in his defence, perhaps he simply dosen't 'get' the line striker role. It could be like others have mentioned, that he's more suited to 2 up top. Maybe some weird thing in his brain is telling him to try and score whenever he's got the ball. Simplistic, but possible.

I'll go with some weird thing in his brain explanation    He belongs to those type of players which skyrocketed too quick too soon drowning in money and woman and forget they are football players.

[ballotelliman]

Exactly hes the manager he wanted him now its up to brendan to sort the best system out  for mario to flourish. How many crosses have we had in the box since he arrived.  swap markovic for gerrard or at least borini on the right  and put allen in stevies position. we have nothing in the final third to create chances thats why he doesnt rest sterling  so mario is up there like billy no mates no balls coming in the box chasing flies its a joke

Your lad is a lazy goat which doesn't bother running into open spaces thus offering Coutinho and the rest no options to pass...When he does get the ball it's usually final stop always looks for a long range shot or delays the pass...Showed nothing to look for.

i agree with you hes lazy said after first game hes to static. So why isnt brendan saying to sterling and markovic get down the by line and get some much needed crosses in. You saw what he could do when he scored at home in europe. Strength 2 defenders around him could not handle him.  Everyone is expecting him to be like suarez never gona happen. Stevie is wasted back there hes the only one who can cross a ball and whats the point of prolonging his career back there when hes getting overrun already.

[LFC1990]

Balotelliman I understand what you are saying about Gerrard crossinf the ball for Balotelli but there is two problems with that

1) The position you are refering to isnt just stand there and cross the ball if it was then great however BR needs that player (Sterling, Markovic) to track back and chase the opposing wingers if Gerrard couldnt catch Downing when Downing ran at him he wont have a chance with a pacier winger running away from him.

2) Balotelli is tall and strong completely agree. However when the rest of our attacking players are of the build of Coutinho Sterling etc they wont have much of a chance with the ball in the air against 6 ft + defenders

We will see a better liverpool when sturridge is back for certain however with Dannys injury problems we shouldnt be so reliant on one player

[ballotelliman]

Balotelliman I understand what you are saying about Gerrard crossinf the ball for Balotelli but there is two problems with that

1) The position you are refering to isnt just stand there and cross the ball if it was then great however BR needs that player (Sterling, Markovic) to track back and chase the opposing wingers if Gerrard couldnt catch Downing when Downing ran at him he wont have a chance with a pacier winger running away from him.

2) Balotelli is tall and strong completely agree. However when the rest of our attacking players are of the build of Coutinho Sterling etc they wont have much of a chance with the ball in the air against 6 ft + defenders

We will see a better liverpool when sturridge is back for certain however with Dannys injury problems we shouldnt be so reliant on one player

so when sturridge is fit to start  which 3 up top would you have.

[LFC1990]

I would play 2 up top. We work best as a diamond as long as all the players understand their jobs and do them to the best of the ability .

With a fully fit side we should play this

                                                 Mignolet
   Manquillo                           Lovren          Skrtel          Moreno


                                                       Can
Sterling                                                                            Markovic

                                                       Henderson

                       Sturridge                                         Balotelli

This allows us the luxury of Coutinho and Gerrard to come off the bench to change it or for rotation Coutinho could fit in either Sterling Markovic or Hendos place. Hendo can play in cans place Gerrard can fit in Hendos slot. We have a very versatile midfield.

The most important thing and its very cliche in defending from the front. Balotellis best game was his first he played along with sturridge and he ran back and marked a defender at corners etc.

Brendan needs authority whether its because he is a young manager but i dont think he rules the dressing room

[Stu the Red]

Writing your preferred team down doesn't mean that's the answer. That team would get destroyed as Henderson is not good enough to play in a two, Can has no experience in this league, Moreno is poor as is Skrtel and the keeper. Manquillo for all is his promise is still a young lad who is often reluctant to play the ball forward as well and Markovic has so far shown absolutely nothing to suggest he even deserves to be on the bench let alone in the side.

[ballotelliman]

i know its early but markovic worries me not good at tracking back or going forward at the minute. And what about joe allen  coutinho  hendo markovic seems abit lightweight to me tracking back. Thats where weve been getting over run in midfield

[LFC1990]

I never said it was the answer a member asked me what i would play when sturridge was fit and i answered his question.
But seeing as you brought up a few points ill address them

1) Henderson has been outshining gerrard in the last 12 months therefore out of the 2 i would definitely play him
2) Can has no premierleague experience but neither have alot of players who have settled here quickly andthe minutes he has played here he seems to suit it
3) Moreno isnt poor for starters plus Enriques performance against basle was woeful
4) Skrtel isnt the most technically gifted CB however is alot better then Sakho and Toure
5)Manquillo is head and shoulders ahead of Johnson and Flanagan
6) Markovic is a player who plays off confidence he needs more minutes on the pitch