Mario Balotelli Shows His Value as Liverpool Survive Ludogorets Scare

A five-year wait ended on Tuesday night as Liverpool welcomed PFC Ludogorets Razgrad to Anfield for their first Champions League tie since crashing out of the competition in 2009.

After a phenomenal sophomore season in charge of the Reds, Brendan Rodgers oversaw a sea change on Merseyside, with expansive, attacking football becoming the order of the day. A second-place finish in 2013-14 saw Liverpool enter Europe’s elite from the group stages.

Five times winners of the competition in its various guises, a return to the Champions League for Liverpool felt like a justified homecoming.

Under Rafa Benitez back in 2009, the Reds’ last Champions League starting line-up was an incredibly mixed bag, with Andrea Dossena lining up on the left wing and misfit Alberto Aquilani partnering Javier Mascherano in the midfield.

Rodgers has worked tirelessly over the summer to strengthen his side. On paper, Liverpool looked like a much stronger outfit than Benitez’s XI.

Dirk Kuyt started up front against Lyon that night. On Tuesday, the main man was summer marquee signing Mario Balotelli.

With Daniel Sturridge on the sidelines, having suffered an ankle injury on England duty, the onus fell on Balotelli to provide the cutting edge required—Liverpool had to wait for over 80 minutes before the Italian broke the deadlock, but Balotelli proved incisive as ever.

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Disjointed Start

As was expected with their long-awaited return to Europe’s elite, Liverpool started with a frenetic tempo reminiscent of their buccaneering style of play in the Luis Suarez-coloured side from last season.

Lining up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana flanking Balotelli in the central role, Liverpool would need to exploit the wings to adroitly cut apart the Bulgarian champions and feed the striker.

Despite a high-energy start, glaring gaps in between an ineffective Philippe Coutinho and the forward men became apparent.

At times, Balotelli looked more like a route-one-style target man, belying the philosophies of Brendan Rodgers.

To his credit, however, the Italian held the ball up well and displayed a keen defensive contribution when off the ball—an important hallmark of Rodgers’ system.

A midfield base of Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson dictated pace comfortably. Furthermore, perhaps spurred by the immensity of the occasion, Gerrard looked back to his prowling best in the deep-lying midfield role.

Much like in the previous weekend’s loss at home to Aston Villa, a drastically changed Liverpool side looked to struggle to get to grips with the tie.

Five Champions League debuts within the starting line-up may not have helped this.

Balotelli has experience in Europe’s elite with Manchester City, Inter and AC Milan, and this eventually proved crucial for Liverpool.

This new-look Reds side will take some time to find its feet, it seems—perhaps a sabbatical from the quick-from-the-blocks attacking arrogance from last season is to come, with Balotelli’s often more languid style of play spearheading this move.

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Ludogorets

Prior to the tie, Rodgers spoke of how his side would be set up to “respect” their lowly adversaries, stressing that this fixture is just as important as a matchup against Real Madrid later in the group stages.

The Bulgarian side came into proceedings with verve and vigour, as expected in a first Champions League outing for the club.

Goalkeeper Milan Borjan, making his first appearance for Ludogorets, would have been forgiven for a nervy start, but the Canadian was dominant between the posts as Balotelli and Lallana came closest for the Reds before half-time.

Forward Marcelinho and full-back Junior Caicara posed persistent problems for Liverpool on the break, and Georgi Dermendzhiev’s side looked no slouches.

Ludogorets’ bold, energetic play continued as the second half wore on, and the Reds had to lean on their charges’ Champions League experience to bore through.

Rodgers is keen to instill the traditions of the club, and as five-time winners in Europe’s elite, this experience is somewhat intrinsic.

However, having acquired a player of Balotelli's pedigree in the summer, this is surely the occasion that Rodgers had in mind for this big-game player.

Mario Balotelli

An uncharacteristic reaction from the typically blase Balotelli?

Liverpool’s hero on the night was perhaps fresh from the script, with his goal on 82 minutes serving as the pivotal moment in the 2-1 victory. The Italian’s well-taken finish was followed by a passionate celebration.

The Italian grew in confidence after his strike, with a well-taken, long-range effort on 85 minutes testing Borjan once more—Balotelli is the epitome of the confidence player, but once the 24-year-old found the net, an experienced sheen offered the Reds a welcoming glow.

After Balotelli’s goal, the game became increasingly open, with Ludogorets’ Dani Abalo equalising on the break on 90 minutes.

Whilst it came to the spot-kick prowess of Gerrard to seal the three points for the Reds, it was the contribution of Balotelli that proved crucial in this victory.

Balotelli is belying his reputation with a series of spirited performances, with bursts of defensive pressing accenting a typical attacking finesse. The Italian will need to work on his movement in acclimating himself to Rodgers’ side, but the early signs are hugely encouraging.

The striker’s finish was described by Rodgers in his post-match interview with ITV as “world-class,” and that is the quality that Balotelli brings to Liverpool.

Despite the momentum of the occasion, Liverpool struggled against Ludogorets. However, this result proved why Rodgers plumped £16 million for Balotelli.

The Italian will welcome the return of Sturridge in the coming weeks, with the pair having formed a devastating duo in the 3-0 victory over Spurs earlier in the season. The cutting edge of the former Milan man proved enough on Tuesday night.

A player capable of making something out of nothing, Balotelli was needed to light up this dreary performance.

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