Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has predicted a quiet transfer window for his side, but misfit striker Mario Balotelli would sorely benefit from a move this January, either temporary or permanent.
Rodgers spoke to talkSPORT on Monday, specifically ruling out any big-name January signings by claiming this month “will be pretty quiet” for the Reds’ transfer department.
However, the manager recently told reporters that “there might be a few who need to go out on loan because they are not playing so much,” according to Sky Sports.
Balotelli could be one such player, having made just four appearances from a possible nine after returning from injury in mid-December, with this amounting to just 86 minutes of action.
The striker has made just 18 appearances for the Reds since his £16 million summer transfer from AC Milan.
Rodgers has previously dismissed a January loan move for Balotelli as “not something that I have even thought about,” according to Sky Sports.
But for Balotelli‘s sake a move should be sanctioned this January.
Unfulfilled Hype
Much was made of Balotelli‘s move to Liverpool in August of last year, with the striker expected to fill the void left by a departing Luis Suarez.
On his signing, Rodgers told reporters including Andy Hunter of The Guardian that “I think to get someone of that quality in this market is a very good deal for us,” before continuing: “He is a world-class talent and it is an area we need to strengthen.”
This was boosted by an impressive debut alongside Daniel Sturridge in a 3-0 September victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Since however, Balotelli has failed to assert himself at Liverpool.
In his 18 appearances, the striker has scored just two goals—one in the Champions League and one in the League Cup.
Comparing Balotelli‘s shots-to-goals ratio in the Premier League this season with his fellow Reds strikers makes for stark reading:
Balotelli is also one of the side’s least prolific creative players, with only Lambert and a host of defenders and goalkeepers making less key passes on average per game than the 24-year-old’s 0.6.
On paper it can be evaluated that the striker is not scoring or creating enough in a Liverpool shirt.
But how much of the blame can fall at the feet of Balotelli?
Rodgers’ System
Balotelli‘s signing in August came as a surprise to most, with James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo outlining “a remarkable U-turn for the Reds after the club [had previously] dismissed any interest in signing the former Manchester City frontman.”
“At the end of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the USA in Miami [Rodgers] was asked about [the] speculation,” Pearce continued. “But he dismissed the notion at the time.”
This suggests that Rodgers was not particularly interested in signing Balotelli.
Further backing up this claim, Rodgers described the striker as “a calculated risk” in October, with Hunter of The Guardian detailing how Samuel Eto’o was considered an option before Liverpool plumped for Balotelli.
An £8.5 million bid for Loic Remy prior to this move collapsed due to medical fears, according to BBC Sport.
Both alternative strikers fit the profile of Rodgers’ system at Liverpool: Pacey and dynamic, with intelligent movement.
Rodgers continued to outline his “risk” by claiming Balotelli‘s signing was “something I have to work on to try to make it work for the team.”
Ever since however, Rodgers has found the striker at odds with his system.
Ahead of Boxing Day’s 1-0 win away to Burnley, Rodgers highlighted his fear that the side’s “level of pressing and intensity is not part of [Balotelli‘s] game,” as reported by Neil Jones for the Liverpool Echo.
It now seems a miscalculated risk by Rodgers and the Liverpool transfer committee.
Balotelli was hardly an unknown entity prior to his move to Merseyside, so why take a gamble on a player who evidently won’t suit the high-intensity system the manager is trying to implement?
Another Shot at Redemption
When Balotelli moved to Liverpool, this was seen as a last chance for a striker who had lost the faith of managers at Inter Milan, Manchester City and Milan.
Rodgers was labelled as the manager most able to finally coax the talent from the maverick, with Swansea City boss Garry Monk attesting that “if anyone is going to get the best out of Balotelli then Brendan can,” according to the London Evening Standard in November.
“He’s a very good guy, a very good man-manager who is personable and who understands players and different characters,” Monk continued. “I’d expect him definitely to be the man to do that.”
However, with his inability to tailor a system to Balotelli‘s strengths, and continued stressing that the striker isn’t the right fit, Rodgers has seemingly failed to do so.
It may be another move too many, but Balotelli needs to join a side that will play to his many positive qualities, such as when early into his spell with Milan.
Liverpool are now thriving with a new 3-4-2-1 system, based around a dynamic lone striker, and with Sturridge set to return from injury this month according to Rodgers in the interview with talkSPORT, there now seems to be no place for Balotelli in the Reds’ first team.
It would be a disappointment to already admit defeat on a signing which could have boosted the Reds considerably this season, but Balotelli‘s qualities seem at odds with Liverpool’s system.
With Brendan Rodgers unlikely to change his stance any time soon, a January transfer would benefit Mario Balotelli considerably.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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