Mario Balotelli Issues Just Another Symptom of Liverpool's Indecisive Summer
LIVERPOOL, England — It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Two weeks before the end of last season, Liverpool were still fighting for the Premier League title, their first league championship in well over two decades, looking forward to taking part in the Champions League and on a very definite, visible, upward curve.
The World Cup, the transfer window, the dawn of a new season.
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Even Luis Suarez-less, as the club and fans knew they would be after the Bite In Brazil, there was plenty to look forward to, as the Reds should have been looking to capitalise on the success and improvements on 2013-14. It hasn't worked out that way so far.
Even with Liverpool sitting just outside the top four in the Premier League and still with plenty of room to negotiate their Champions League group, all is not immediately well at Anfield, and far too much of it stems from a disjointed, illogical and haphazard transfer window.
Mario, Always Mario
Mario Balotelli, bib! Mario Balotelli, car! Mario Balotelli, shot! Whatever it is for, Italian striker Balotelli always makes the headlines, and the reasons for a win or defeat fly his way. A shirt swap at half-time? Daft, pointless, insensitive and annoying perhaps, but responsible for Liverpool's form? For his substitution? For the defeat?
"Carlo Ancelotti to Sky Italia—"Could Balotelli give more on the pitch? I don't know about that, but he wasn't their worst performer tonight"
— Nik Postinger (@nikpostinger) October 22, 2014"
Might as well credit the shirt swap for Liverpool's improved second-half performance and hail its genius for a second-half clean sheet.
It's completely irrelevant to the current malaise of the first team.
Balotelli was signed this summer to fanfare and expectation, but most notably after manager Brendan Rodgers praised him—and then assured, reassured and "categorically" denied that it meant the Reds were after him. That changed within weeks, of course, though Rodgers was very likely being 100 percent truthful when he revealed there was no interest—at the time.
It seemed Liverpool were, in fact, almost surprised into signing him when a) he was available and b) Loic Remy was discarded.
The issue with Balotelli at Liverpool is clear: He has looked at his best, and indeed Liverpool have, with two up front. The Italian doesn't stick on the shoulder but drops deep and wants to be involved in buildup play, to work the channels. He needs someone else to occupy the defenders, make runs off the ball, have pace.
He needs Daniel Sturridge, in short, except he was never going to be available all season due to his injury issues. Additional on-the-shoulder recruits should have been forthcoming but weren't—other than Divock Origi, shipped back to Lille on loan.
Balotelli cannot function as the Reds need him to playing alone through the middle, but "they shouldn't have signed him" is an argument as irrelevant as SwapGate is.
The only thing that matters for the Reds is how they go about utilising what they do have to get the best out of those assets, and the best for the team—whether that means Balotelli in or out of the side, partnered or pushed wide.
It's not all about him, and the clamouring and crying over what he does or doesn't do is just camouflaging problems on the pitch which are not all down to him.
The big ongoing issue—and apologies if readers are tired of hearing it—is Liverpool's lack of pressing this season. Last year they had Suarez, whose work rate would shame, inspire or spur others into action. This year Balotelli is the first port of call in that regard, and he doesn't do it, so nor do the next line. If the midfield don't press and win back the ball, Steven Gerrard is exposed more often as the controller, and opponents run round him more easily.
In turn, the defence comes under more pressure, and Simon Mignolet faces more balls into the box, and none of the five in those positions have been good enough to deal with it.
Does that make it Balotelli's fault? He's never worked incredibly hard in his entire career—why should it suddenly be expected that he will do so now? Some traits are not in some players. Clubs know this when they sign them.
Liverpool bought a player who is technical, can hit a ball hard and has flashes of skill. But he was never going to be Kuyt-esque in his off-the-ball running, and to expect so is nonsensical on the part of fans, coaches or whoever wants it to happen.
Unless he is shamed or spurred into doing so by whoever plays alongside him, which is nobody when he leads the attack alone.
Defensive Structure
Liverpool's defence last season as they stormed to second was pretty bad at times, but they still kept 10 clean sheets. There were issues—full-backs, depth, set pieces—but they were negated by an awesome attack.
With the rest of the team not firing this term and the lack of pressing and possession leaving the back line exposed, the defence of the Reds has rarely looked in worse shape. The old problems remain and were shown in stark, harsh, barely forgiving light against QPR, particularly regarding set pieces and full-backs.
"one clean sheet now in 12 games this season. two clean sheets, in fact, in our last 19 games going back to last season - both against Spurs.
— Karl Matchett (@karlmatchett) October 22, 2014"
Dejan Lovren was the £20 million signing of choice.
Opinion has been split for some on Mamadou Sakho's excellent/abysmal ability, but regardless of who was to be dropped out between him and Martin Skrtel, one thing was constant: The fact that both are aggressive defenders, players who step out of the back-four line to anticipate and intercept, players who challenge and mark and look to stop attacks before they reach the penalty area, meant their new partner absolutely had to be the opposite kind of centre-back.
Liverpool needed someone to read the game, to drop deeper, to sweep behind when Skrtel/Sakho was getting ready to step forward and launch themselves into an aerial dual or tackle. Lovren is about as far from that defender as you could imagine—he's a mirror image of Martin Skrtel, almost.
It's not Lovren's fault that he cost £20 million. It's not his fault that he is a similarly aggressive, step-out-and-stop-type centre-back. That's what he is, what he does and what he has always done.
Like Balotelli, there is no reason to suspect that he should have come in and changed his game just because signed for Liverpool. Improve his game, sure, with coaching and tactical direction and playing with supposedly better players. Absolutely. But if you want to change the fundamentals of a player's style of play, what he has built his career upon, why sign him in the first place?
And if there was no intention to have him as the covering player, the one who can read the game and hold off making a challenge without knowing what cover remained behind, what might that say about the expectations of the defence and the direction of the team? Where does the control come from in this instance?
The defence lacks balance, organisation, cohesion and communication.
It was a clear flaw last year which patently needed addressing. Lovren surely can't be the single player who was meant to fix all of this, which again yields questions over the direction and efficiency, and indeed the planning, of the club in this area over the summer.
"3 - Tonight is the first time in their history that Liverpool have lost a European home game by a three goal margin. Humbled.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 22, 2014"
Talent, Promise, Potential?
Liverpool have over the past few years made one of the main objectives bringing in talented young players who can be improved, shaped and brought on in their careers, giving good value for money and the opportunity of a larger sell-on fee. In short, being smarter at doing their business: being admirable, sensible and sustainable.
The relative success of each transfer is open to debate and subjective, but the summer of 2014 was a big opportunity to push on from that.
It was a chance to bring in bigger talent, established talent—but without negating those founding principles. Established talent which was still young enough to improve further. Top-class, proven quality, to cope in the Champions League and adequately replace Luis Suarez—while helping the team's aims and style along the way.
Time will tell which of the additions fit that profile, but early on, the outlook is that the level of initial quality was not as high as it should have been in too many cases, while key areas were overlooked somewhat.
Balotelli will continue to write headlines because of who he has become.
Whether he has a good or indifferent game each week varies depending on the viewers' allegiances, seemingly. What doesn't change is that Liverpool have him and should now be pushing everything toward his making a difference in the final third. If he's not, things need altering around him.
Right now Liverpool's defence is a shambles, and because of the nature of the team, that needs to start from the front. The summer was the chance to put right the wrongs in that area of the side, a chance which was missed by and large.
To avoid paying the price for that failure through the entirety of 2014-15, Rodgers needs to rediscover or reinvent the formula to get Liverpool fighting and attacking once more, for the next 10 weeks at the very least.
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