EPL: Mario Balotelli and 5 Players Who Must Prove Themselves in 2011/2012

There is currently a lot of talent in the Premier League. Up-and-coming youngsters who are hailed to be the next great players are not uncommon in the Premier League, or even in the whole world. However, it's not just young players who are loaded with potential, there are several players in their mid- and late-twenties who are talented in their own right.

But in sports, raw talent isn't something that promises one a successful career; it must be used. Many soccer players have just as much talent as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but fail to use it as well as them. 

There are several cases of people who are known for being talented, but they need to show that they are worth something.

Here are five talented players for whom it is crucial to do so.

Andy Carroll

Andy Carroll is a huge aerial threat; at 6'3" he towers over many players and is one of the best in the game at using his head. His strength also really helps him muscle-out others for the ball, which is one of the reasons that he is a good player. Carroll also has a great shot, which can often be a cannon.

Carroll played for Newcastle between 2006 and 2011, not to mention a loan spell at Preston North End. However, he was bought by Liverpool for 35 million pounds, a price that most people thought to be outrageous for him, since he has yet to prove that he is a world-class striker. The transfer was on the same day that Fernando Torres moved to Chelsea for a ridiculous 50 million pounds.

Andy Carroll has only played two matches for the England senior squad, and has scored one goal. It was a nice strike against Ghana in a friendly played at Wembley Stadium.

Though the 22-year-old has tons of potential, he must further develop it and show what he is worth next year. He will have to score 15 or 20 goals. If Liverpool are successful next year, it will help make a name for himself.

Gervinho

Gervinho was the lead scorer for the Ligue 1 champions, OSC Lille. Between 2009-2011, he scored 28 goals in 67 games for Lille.

When he was transferred to Arsenal, people thought that he must be pretty good, since Arsene Wenger doesn't spend 10.4 million pounds on just anyone. Wenger is known to be very miserly and he has a reputation for making purchases very rarely, but when he does they are supposed to be quality signings. 

Gervinho has already played in a few of Arsenal's preseason matches. He scored a brace against FC Cologne as the Gunners cruised to a 2-1 victory. Despite that, in Arsenal's match against the New York Red Bulls, Gervinho was caught offside a lot, something that former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor was famous for among Gooners.

The Ivorian started for the national team in the 2010 World Cup. Though he did not score, he did have the opportunity to play alongside Yaya Toure, Salomon Kalou and others.

Gervinho seemed an expensive buy for Arsene Wenger. Next season, he must show if he was worth the money and if he can really be a serious offensive threat.

Javier Hernandez

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has been regarded as a youngster with a lot of potential for a few years now. Manchester United were the club to snatch him from CD Guadalajara last summer, for an undisclosed fee.

At Guadalajara, Chicharito scored an impressive 26 goals in 64 appearances between 2006 and 2010. However, at Manchester United the Mexican has had an even more impressive record: 13 goals in 27 appearances, which is almost one goal every two games.

Last year, Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to prefer Berbatov over Chicharito, as the Bulgarian international was tied for the most goals in the season. Of late, however, the United manager has seemed to put Hernandez higher than Berbatov, something that could help Hernandez potentially win the Golden Boot.

For the Mexican team, Hernandez has had an astonishing 21 goals in 29 appearances, including a wonderful strike against Argentina in the 2010 World Cup.

A well-known young talent, can Hernandez turn himself into one of the world's best strikers?

Mario Balotelli

If there is one type of person that Mario Balotelli is associated with, it would probably be headcase. The Italian's antics have made a huge name for him.

He has given interviews saying that he is the second-best player in the world after Messi (as reported by Mirror Football) and that he hasn't heard of Arsenal starlet Jack Wilshere (as reported by the Daily Mail). There was also a viral video of Balotelli on the pitch, unable to put his "bib" on! He has been the victim of several racial chants and slurs when playing in Italy, and that only helped him to feel bad for himself.

Despite all these things, Balotelli is a phenomenal talent. He's strong, quick and has a great right foot. At Internazionale, Balotelli was amazing, scoring 20 goals in 59 appearances, while catching the attention of many teams. Manchester City, who are one of the richest clubs in the world, ended up buying him in 2010.

He did not play that much at Manchester City; he only made 17 appearances for the club, scoring six goals. For the Italian senior national team, he has only made two appearances and did not score. Balotelli did not go with Italy to the World Cup in South Africa.

Many people say that the only thing stopping Super Mario from being great is his own head. If he can get arrogance out of his way, he could become a very good player.

Fernando Torres

In six years at Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres did a lot. Not only did he score 82 goals in 214 appearances, but he also made himself a target for several large clubs. So, in 2007 he was sold to Liverpool, who were very good and did make the Champions League final that same year.

For Liverpool, Torres was amazing, having a fantastic record of 65 goals in 102 appearances. He had great moments there, teaming up with Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and others. He played under Rafael Benitez, a Spanish manager who was always under heavy criticism for whatever he did (not necessarily unfairly). Torres also played under Roy Hodgson for half a season.

In late 2010, his form started to drop and his market value had seemingly gone down.

Though he seemed less expensive than before, in the 2011 January transfer window Torres made a move to Chelsea—Liverpool's biggest rivals—for an overpriced 50 million pounds. In his first few games with the Blues, the Spaniard failed to impress; he did not score for several matches.

Torres has played a lot for his country, and has played for the Spanish senior national team since he was 19. He has scored 27 goals in 86 international appearances, but at the 2010 World Cup his form was in the gutter and he was jeered by many people.

If Torres wants criticism to cease from coming his way, he must show that he is worth the crazy amount of money Chelsea spent for him.