Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli once again made the headlines for a late winning goal, this time in the first leg of the Europa League last-32 against Besiktas, but the Italian international was also singled out for criticism as the winning goal came from a penalty that he was no authorise to take.
Balotelli came on as a substitute against the Turkish outfit, and appeared to relinquish Jordan Henderson of the penalty-taking responsibility. The two players, along with teammate Daniel Sturridge, were seen arguing over the decision, but the Italian eventually tucked away his spot kick to earn the Reds victory.
Working as a pundit, injured midfielder and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said Balotelli had broken the rules taking the penalty off Henderson, despite a collection of players trying to play down the incident after the final whistle. But once again, it’s another incident of the striker putting personal accomplishment before the team, which calls into question why Liverpool ever brought him in.
To be a successful striker at Anfield, manager Brendan Rodgers requires his frontmen to press the opponents high up the pitch, so high levels of industry and stamina are a given. But when in possession, it’s imperative to utilise every player in the side, and to make selfless off the ball runs, with the aim to drag an opposing defender out of position.
Balotelli, however, doesn’t fit this bill in the slightest. He doesn’t even boast a good scoring record in the Premier League, and he’s notoriously a difficult player to manage. In his short time in Merseyside, the Italian has already given Rodgers a number of headaches that has seen him punished in-house, but there were surely so many better options than Balotelli in the summer.
With just one Premier League goal scored in 13 games for Liverpool, Balotelli is offering the club nothing but a headache. He’s making the headlines for negative reasons rather than good, and considering the Reds turned down the chance to sign Loic Remy from Queens Park Rangers in the summer, the decision to sign Balotelli instead looks somewhat foolish.
With a meagre total of three goals from 17 games played this season, the 24-year-old striker has offered nothing positive to the Liverpool side since signing. He’s behind Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order, and is already showcasing behaviour that will shorten his stay at Anfield.
Why did Liverpool sign Mario Balotelli in the summer?
