Balotelli (continued)

[mekonmcfc]

He did fine yesterday. First 20 minutes was the best we've played all season, and he was prominent in that - his movement was good, as was his link up play with Aguero. He went out of it after the first goal, as we did as a team. Start of the second half he gave a shit pass away infield from the left, then did the stupid backheel. No issue whatsoever with him coming off, and Tevez clearly did make a difference. But nor was there any problem with playing him from the start - Tevez hasn't been playing especially well, nor have we as a team, Mancini changed it and for that first period we looked the better for it, played with far better tempo, urgency, movement than we have for ages (apart from Madrid second half).

So can't see any justification for all the 'Balotelli is shit', 'picking him was the same as giving Utd a 2-goal lead' (!), 'he'll cost Mancini his job' etc. All seems totally misplaced to me.

how many shots did we have in the first 20 minutes of the best football we played all season ???? NONE

they had 2 attacks and scored twice

 

[ChrisNUFC]

So reading between the lines it seems that Balotelli is on fairly good money and is unlikely to achieve such a wage elsewhere and therefore your wagons are tied together for now.

So given that then what are peoples theories idea's on how to resolve the issue?

Get behind the lad as much as possible?

Get rid of him? (if this is selected is it a realistic option)

I'm not fishing here i'm genuinely interested as to what people would like to happen.

 

[sh249]

I keep hearing and reading in the press how Balotelli was "a disgrace" yesterday, but I still haven't heard anything specific that he did that was disgraceful.

He was our best player in the first half yesterday, but unfortunately his reputation for being a nob head precedes him so people don't bother to analyse how he actually plays.

You including the manager in that final paragraph because he was the most vocal of Balo's critics yesterday, and in many respects he opened the floodgates by hanging him out to dry in the manner in which he did.

Agree with both points. Listening to Redknapp and Souness crucify Balotelli at half time, for no reason other than that they don't like him, was embarrassing. Bore no relation whatsoever to what had actually happened on the pitch - just two fuck-witted imbeciles spouting cliched bollocks. Compare it with Neville who said as Balotelli went off that he'd played well in the opening period, then drifted out of it.

And I don't think Mancini did do him any favours with his comments. Can well understand his frustration at seeing that fucking braindead backheel, but no need to come out and publicly criticise him like that - did open the floodgates for more of the same old fucking shit being written in every report this morning.

 

[Blue Hefner]

He did fine yesterday. First 20 minutes was the best we've played all season, and he was prominent in that - his movement was good, as was his link up play with Aguero. He went out of it after the first goal, as we did as a team. Start of the second half he gave a shit pass away infield from the left, then did the stupid backheel. No issue whatsoever with him coming off, and Tevez clearly did make a difference. But nor was there any problem with playing him from the start - Tevez hasn't been playing especially well, nor have we as a team, Mancini changed it and for that first period we looked the better for it, played with far better tempo, urgency, movement than we have for ages (apart from Madrid second half).

So can't see any justification for all the 'Balotelli is shit', 'picking him was the same as giving Utd a 2-goal lead' (!), 'he'll cost Mancini his job' etc. All seems totally misplaced to me.

Has he ever done anything more than a midtable striker would do ie go on a good run of goal scoring form or made a place in t he team his own.

Scoring in the 6-1, playing quite well in the semi final and scoring at the death V Spurs is about it isn't it? Over 2 and a half years than just not good enough

I'm certainly not denying that he hasn't done enough since being here, although - to my mind - he's had far more good games than you suggest. I just can't understand how/why anyone would suggest that his selection yesterday was the key factor in us losing/going 2-0 down? It's completely bizarre, if perhaps regrettably predicatable.

I agree that his selection wasn't the main n reason we were losing but to pick him ahead of Tevez was ridiculous. He is not good enough to play against them.

I'll go back to what I've said earlier, he has done nothing more than a midtable striker would do.

Start at the top of the league and go down it and see where you would get before he would make the starting line up i any of those teams. I'd suggest you would get quite for down the league

 

[sh249]

He did fine yesterday. First 20 minutes was the best we've played all season, and he was prominent in that - his movement was good, as was his link up play with Aguero. He went out of it after the first goal, as we did as a team. Start of the second half he gave a shit pass away infield from the left, then did the stupid backheel. No issue whatsoever with him coming off, and Tevez clearly did make a difference. But nor was there any problem with playing him from the start - Tevez hasn't been playing especially well, nor have we as a team, Mancini changed it and for that first period we looked the better for it, played with far better tempo, urgency, movement than we have for ages (apart from Madrid second half).

So can't see any justification for all the 'Balotelli is shit', 'picking him was the same as giving Utd a 2-goal lead' (!), 'he'll cost Mancini his job' etc. All seems totally misplaced to me.

how many shots did we have in the first 20 minutes of the best football we played all season ???? NONE

they had 2 attacks and scored twice

Off the top of my head I can think of Balotelli's free-kick, his shot over the bar, Aguero's side-footer (perhaps later?). Can also think of a couple of really good moves where we didn't quite get the final pass right (i.e. the move that came right before their first). We had all the ball, and had them pinned in their own half, struggling just to live with us. Also had a lot of pressure from corners which didn't come to anything.

Genuine question: do you think we didn't play well in that period?<br /><br />-- Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:19 pm --<br /><br />

Has he ever done anything more than a midtable striker would do ie go on a good run of goal scoring form or made a place in t he team his own.

Scoring in the 6-1, playing quite well in the semi final and scoring at the death V Spurs is about it isn't it? Over 2 and a half years than just not good enough

I'm certainly not denying that he hasn't done enough since being here, although - to my mind - he's had far more good games than you suggest. I just can't understand how/why anyone would suggest that his selection yesterday was the key factor in us losing/going 2-0 down? It's completely bizarre, if perhaps regrettably predicatable.

I agree that his selection wasn't the main n reason we were losing but to pick him ahead of Tevez was ridiculous. He is not good enough to play against them.

I'll go back to what I've said earlier, he has done nothing more than a midtable striker would do.

Start at the top of the league and go down it and see where you would get before he would make the starting line up i any of those teams. I'd suggest you would get quite for down the league

Fair enough - we obviously just rate him differently. For what it's worth, I think he'd be a starter for almost any team except us and Utd.

 

[york away to this!]

until their first goal we were the superior side. Mario started well.

Shambolic defending for their first, coupled with a bit of a lucky scuff to wrong-foor joe.

The entire team just seemed shocked that they'd scored and collectively seemed to just lose the plot for a few minutes, by which time it was too late and they had the second.

If if if - though if we had kept it together mentally after the first we wouldn't have conceded again.

This is about mario and he seemd to lose it as much as anyone else - it was a whole team collective sag and panic so I won't pick him out fpor terrible criticism.

My mate and I were saying that he looked up for it, he looked sharp and was playing well - my gripe is picking him and sergio to start, if you're looking for the best threat. One of them drifts outside, out of position when they should really look to tuck behind as one of a pair... Sergio and carlos work better as a central pair and should start whatever the game IMHO if fit...

Was Mario diabolical? no. was it his fault we went two down? no. did we play better when he came off and we had sergio and carlos - without a shadow of a doubt, yes.

get a pun out of that lot...

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

The funny thing is DD was saying the other day that Mancini doesn't treat Mario badly and leaves others out hanging!

Mancini should have subbed Tevez for Nasri as soon as they scored their second. Instead Mario is being crucified for a performance that was better than most of the other players until that point.

And the commentators etc going on about what a terrible thing Balo had done by trying a back heel yet right at that very moment Rooney just kicked the ball straight out of play whilst trying to pass to his teammate. Nothing was said though.

Great post. You and me have never seen eye to eye on Mario, but this is the nub of the argument.

The narrative has been written since he got here. People are easily led and more and more are buying into it, rather than thinking for themselves.

The boy can't win here, have said this for over a year, and why I stated he should be sold.

It's actually sad to see even the affection being slowly chiseled away week by week.

Mancini's instant reaction to a moment in time just added fuel to a fire that won't be extinguished until he is driven out.

Let me make it clear, I don't rate Mario on the level some have put on him on, and some will accuse me of furthering the agenda on Mancini, but that's just paranoia.

We have a manager who is supposed to be Mario's champion, yet pushes him before the firing squad when he lets his own frustrations get the better of him.

It's certainly a mixed message when post-match he is again talking defensively on Mario.

Maybe it's an Italian thing, the Latin temperament?

 

[larderland]

Not really anything to do with his performance yesterday but i very much look forward to the day he leaves the club, hes an embarrassment and brings shame to our club, hes done some good things but they have been few and far between, about 80% of his actions have a negative effect on the club and 20% have a positive and that is just not enough.

i wanted him to succeed but ever since his sending off in the Europa league i knew he wasn't worth it.

If he played for any other club wed all be laughing at them and saying they are a joke of a club for employing him.

Its the truth

 

[acton28.blog]

Liability. Get rid, had no confidence in him startinmg depsite him looking okay as a sub recently.

 

[Damanino]

He could maybe go back to Milan but not sure he would be getting the same wage. When his agent says Italian teams cant afford him it's not about the price.

He is the agent of Ibra he helped Inter to get Eto+40m € from Barca for Ibra. Next year he helped Milan to get Ibra for like 20m € after a loan deal with option and they still pay that 20m € for him when Ibra is already at PSG.

He helped Inter as well to get 20m+ pounds from City for Balo. All that agent fees he got he is hell of an agent.

Surely he could do his tricks again (even transfer request/Ballo missing his home etc.) if Milan could show at least 15m and a nice wage + agent fee for Balo/his agent.

Milan cant do that right now that's why they had to sell Silva, Ibra and that's why Inter decided to let big stars leave like Eto, Maicon, Julio Cesar and now Snijder is the next...