Balotelli signs for Liverpool - Official

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I hope his attitude will ruin the morale of their dressing room.

Although he's maybe talented because of his childish antics he will never be a good footballer. Strange he still changes clubs regulary and is regarded as a good player.
 
Good price at £16m, they will get most of that fee back if Borrini is sold and he's a massive improvement on him.
 
I think he may be too languid at times for Liverpool's pacey attack. It's interesting if he isn't a Rodgers target... Hopefully he causes turmoil anyway, there has to be some amount of reasons his price is so low.
 
Yeah, same reasons he's been fired out of every club he's signed for.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
I think he may be too languid at times for Liverpool's pacey attack. It's interesting if he isn't a Rodgers target... Hopefully he causes turmoil anyway, there has to be some amount of reasons his price is so low.
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I said this to the kopites in work today. He doesn't conform to their pacey free flowing counter attacking football and I can't see him showing the same heart and spirit Liverpool players do.
 
Hope this blows up in their face but its good to see the trouble maker back in the EPL. For all the wrong reasons of course!
 
More relieved than excited about the prospect of Mario joining us. Couldn't have gone into the new season with no quality back-up for Sturridge. It could go either way as far as the lad is concerned. He might have matured & be keen to grab his second opportunity at taking the PL by storm. Or it could all end in tears & tantrums for all of us connected to LFC.

It'll be interesting anyway.
 
Liverpool fans seem to be buzzing off this, not quite sure why... It seem a year or so away from the PL and everyone has forgot just how much of a menace he was at City and what he did to Mancini. His goal scoring record is about at a par (20 goals in 54 for City) and he is lazy and undisciplined. Can't see how he fits in to Rodgers system and will HAVE to play when fit.

There is a reason he has been sold on the cheap.
 
Tbh this is just one of those ones that can go either way. He could settle down and take them to a great season as one of the best players in the league. Or could destroy their team morale and disrupt the teams momentum with his antics.

Will definitely be interesting which brendon will prefer as at the end of the day balotelli isn't going to be happy sitting on the bench for sturridge.
 
redman5 said:
More relieved than excited about the prospect of Mario joining us. Couldn't have gone into the new season with no quality back-up for Sturridge. It could go either way as far as the lad is concerned. He might have matured & be keen to grab his second opportunity at taking the PL by storm. Or it could all end in tears & tantrums for all of us connected to LFC.

It'll be interesting anyway.
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Not way will he be happy playing second fiddle to sturridge.
 
Rafateria said:
Andrea Pirlo insists Liverpool-bound Mario Balotelli has matured, and learnt from the mistakes that blighted the early part of his career.

Balotelli's two-and-a-half-year spell at Manchester City included a reckless red card against Arsenal in April 2012 and numerous off-the-pitch misdemeanours, such as setting off fireworks in his house. But since Balotelli joined AC Milan in January 2013, his Italy team-mate Pirlo believes the controversial forward has grown up.

Pirlo said: 'Mario has matured since he has been back in Italy. He will be the first to admit when he was younger he made some mistakes - but he is not that player anymore. 'Anybody who still talks about him in that way is living in the past.'

Juventus midfielder also believes that in the right environment, Balotelli will finally deliver on the promise he first showed as a teenager at Inter. The 35-year-old added: 'I have always said that in the right environment he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in Europe.
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And it starts :lol:
 
I really don't understand the "well, he only cost 16m so he's a good signing regardless" stuff. Doesn't matter if he cost 16m or 36m. What really matters is whether he provides the quality backup they need to Sturridge, whether he'll fot into Rodgers system and how well he'll gel with his team-mates and cope with competition for his place. If he's going to be a disruptive, stroppy influence who sulks his way through important games then Liverpool could have been paid 16m to take him off Milan's hands and he'll still be a crap signing.
 
With him its never a question of talent, and if bredan can get him to give his all for liverpool he'll be a sensational signing. That is of course, easier said than done as many before him have tried and obviously failed.
 
Keeps It tidy said:
Can't wait for Liverpool fans to start defending everything he does.
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He's not that bad.

Brendan gets a lot of stick on here, but I do think he's the perfect sort of manager for Balotelli. If he listens and works hard he could be the best striker in the league. Though there's basically no chance of that happening...
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I really don't understand the "well, he only cost 16m so he's a good signing regardless" stuff. Doesn't matter if he cost 16m or 36m. What really matters is whether he provides the quality backup they need to Sturridge, whether he'll fot into Rodgers system and how well he'll gel with his team-mates and cope with competition for his place. If he's going to be a disruptive, stroppy influence who sulks his way through important games then Liverpool could have been paid 16m to take him off Milan's hands and he'll still be a crap signing.
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If he's expected to be backup then expect the full set on the second bolded point.

He certainly is entertaining regardless.
 
So, is he world class yet? Was probably shit at AC Milan but now one of the best strikers in the world surely.
 
There will be no surprises with Balotelli, he'll put in some great performances and score some great goal, at the same time he'll put in some of the laziest careless efforts you'll see from any footballer and eventually will get really bored living in liverpool and leave.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I really don't understand the "well, he only cost 16m so he's a good signing regardless" stuff. Doesn't matter if he cost 16m or 36m. What really matters is whether he provides the quality backup they need to Sturridge, whether he'll fot into Rodgers system and how well he'll gel with his team-mates and cope with competition for his place. If he's going to be a disruptive, stroppy influence who sulks his way through important games then Liverpool could have been paid 16m to take him off Milan's hands and he'll still be a crap signing.
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This is more of a 'Hey look, Brendan is really appeasing the fans! Look at his essence and glory signing players like this for Liverpool'. It reeks of the Suarez love-in when he was a complete and utter scumbag. If this guy starts acting like a complete twat they will galvanize. It seems to really be what they do, which made sense when I thought about it and why they are (are? Haven't looked) attempting to sign him.
 
Do Liverpool fans really believe that Mario Balotelli will be happy to act as cover for Sturridge? Really?
 
Gee Male said:
Do Liverpool fans really believe that Mario Balotelli will be happy to act as cover for Sturridge? Really?
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No, I don't think so anyway. Sturridge will be first choice but they'll both play the majority of games when available I'm sure.

Doesn't really strike me as a guaranteed working partnership but we'll see, hopefully they click.
 
Expect we'll continue with the diamond and both Sturridge/Balotelli will get plenty of game time.
 
I am glad they went for him instead of some pacey striker, he'll hopefully slow down their attacking play(which is slowed down anyway with Suarez departure) and they won't be that unpredictable in attack as they were last season which was probably their biggest weapon last year. He could bring them something else though, but hopefully he'll be good old inconsistent Balotelli.
 
Like his national teammate Cassano for all the hype, the talent, controversy, headlines he is just good not great. He obviously has pace, can shoot from long range and is one hell of a penalty kick taker but, there is still some holes in his game. He could be a solid player for a top side but, he can not carry a top side like elite strikers could. He is nowhere near the top strikers in the World.
 
ShadesOfTomato said:
Expect we'll continue with the diamond and both Sturridge/Balotelli will get plenty of game time.
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Yeah I expect the same. Not a huge fan of the diamond (and it's hard to see how Marković would fit into it) but unless one of the two get injured 4-3-3 will probably used less often.
 
Bob Loblaw said:
Yeah I expect the same. Not a huge fan of the diamond (and it's hard to see how Marković would fit into it) but unless one of the two get injured 4-3-3 will probably used less often.
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Sevwn wins and one draw when we've used that system. I expect Sterling could play as a striker at times with Markovic playing in the hole and I think in the CL against bigger teams we'll change to a 4-3-3 (or a variation of it).
 
Gee Male said:
Do Liverpool fans really believe that Mario Balotelli will be happy to act as cover for Sturridge? Really?
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I'm pretty sure Rodgers will give them a good chance of working as a partnership. If it doesn't work out we should have a few alternatives with the likes of Sterling, Markovich, Lallana, & Coutinho. Mario spent a fair amount of time on the bench at City, so I don't think his ego is as bad as some on here think.
 
BarneyLFC said:
Sevwn wins and one draw when we've used that system. I expect Sterling could play as a striker at times with Markovic playing in the hole and I think in the CL against bigger teams we'll change to a 4-3-3 (or a variation of it).
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Yeah I wouldn't knock the effectiveness of it (didn't know it was as impressive as that though) - just a personal preference really, I'm a fan of the 4-3-3. Also would question whether the diamond would be as good without a striker pulling out wide as often as Suárez, Sturridge does it too but not to the same extent. Excited to see how it works though, and like last season I'm sure there'll be a lot of tactical variation.

Could Marković play centrally? From what I've read he's strictly a wide man?
 
Bob Loblaw said:
Yeah I wouldn't knock the effectiveness of it (didn't know it was as impressive as that though) - just a personal preference really, I'm a fan of the 4-3-3. Also would question whether the diamond would be as good without a striker pulling out wide as often as Suárez, Sturridge does it too but not to the same extent. Excited to see how it works though, and like last season I'm sure there'll be a lot of tactical variation.

Could Marković play centrally? From what I've read he's strictly a wide man?
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Apparently he can play in any of three behind a striker or on either wing, but prefers the left. The diamond also allows Sterling to take a central role which is no bad thing.
 
Brilliant piece of business for Liverpool.

The only fun we'll have is seeing how they'll manage to turn him into someone humble, classy and 100% 'Liverbird upon his chest'
 
I thought the diamond was your best formation last season, definitely brought the best out of Sterling.
 
BarneyLFC said:
Apparently he can play in any of three behind a striker or on either wing, but prefers the left. The diamond also allows Sterling to take a central role which is no bad thing.
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I can only take your word on Marković but yeah agree about Sterling.
 
Tony Barrett says he's being offered a£115,000 p/w deal. The deal includes heavy wage sanctions should Balotelli not meet the minimum standards of application and behaviour. These include being disruptive in training and bad timekeeping amongst other things. Apparently this is the last hurdle of the deal and it won't be done in time for him to play against City.

Also, on Rodgers originally rejecting Balotelli he says that the original £30m price tag put on him by Milan put us off, but once they cut their asking price by nearly half, Rodgers viewed it as a risk worth taking.
 
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When I first saw it, I thought they're trading one nut for another. On second thought, it would bolster their strikeforce and for the prices they're quoting, it seems to be highway robbery. Heck, they'd be ahead financially if they hadn't bought Lambert & Lallana. Still, Balotelli is crazy & much more inconsistent than Suarez.
 
Does Balotelli turn up for the big games? We know Suarez didn't.
 
I think Balotelli and Sturridge would be able to play together against most teams - especially at home. I don't think they'd get away with it against good sides though, neither likes to press (Balotelli especially) so they would be too easy to play through.
 
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