Will Super Mario finally come good?

So we finally have our striker. Not Falcao, not Cavani or Lavezzi or even Bony, but Mario Barwuah Balotelli. Out of the frying pan with Suarez and possibly into the fire will be the thoughts of many coming after his implosion at Inter and City, his relative failure for AC Milan and at the World Cup.

Personally, I believe it's a risk worth taking. Yes, there are the reported incidents which I don't want to waste time rehashing and the fact that the player is reported to be not most dynamic of trainers. I'd rather concentrate on the positives. Undoubtedly a world class talent and it's why fans are excited in the belief that if Brendan can help channel the fire inside of Balotelli then Ian Ayre may just have pulled of a sensational coup at £16 million.

What I believe, hope even, is that Balotelli will mature under the guidance of not just Brendan Rodgers, but the respect which he will certainly have for club captain Steven Gerrard.

As important is the core of players in his age group Henderson, Allen, Sturridge, Lovren and Mignolet who he may find some common ground with and as such enable him to settle in.

A year from now we could all be crying over spilt milk. But for now we should concentrate on a player who in the most pressurised situation sprawled on the ground, somehow conjured a killer pass to Aguero to win the Premier League. Who in the last European Championship expertly led the line to quite literally drag Italy into the final and although much maligned by the Rossoneri faithful, he still managed to average more than 1 goal in every 2 games with 26 goals in 43 League games (30 goals in 54 games overall).

Make no bones about it should Balotelli play a full season he will score goals the question will be how many? 

But, the more pertinent question is whether he disturbs the happy camp which Brendan Rodgers has built at Anfield. Not that he had anything like the reputation of Balotelli, but in 1972 Rodney Marsh a superbly talented individual joined Man City with only nine games to go and the club four points clear of Leeds, with City seemingly moving serenely towards being crowned champions.  

By the end of the season, the title was lost one point to Derby.  What is recognised even by Marsh himself was that his maverick style had thrown a City team whose style was based on a team ethic off kilter on the home strait.



Is he a risk worth taking?

Suarez contribution wasn't all about goals and assists. He gave Liverpool drive, a belief that they could beat any team and thus his effect was to lift the players, especially the younger members of the team to improve. What we need from Mario Balotelli is for the player to build a work ethic on top of his unquestionable talent not only because it will stop the naysayers like Neville Southall in their tracks, but because our pressing game demands continuous involvement from all outfield players.

Comparing the transfers of Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku or the £14 million valuation placed on Fabio Borini is only relevant should Balotelli go on to be a success, although it does put into question the cost of players within the British transfer system, though that is a question for another day/blog.  

The fact that Liverpool have seen fit to buy him is more down to the player's talent and also the club's much documented transfer policy. 

Should Balotelli's tenure at Liverpool be an unqualified success then he will have justified the club policy of picking up under performing players for a relatively cheap fee and providing them with the foundation and building blocks to fulfil their potential.

It's admirable that he's agreed to a pay cut, but one could argue that is only because he recognises he is in the last chance saloon with a big club and one can only hope he grabs it. The game is littered with great talents ending up playing for multiple teams across careers which once promised so much with relatively little success. 

If Balotelli is being feted in the seasons ahead it can only be good for Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool Football Club and moreover the footballing world because he will have matured from a player with world class talent into a world class player. 

As Lou Holtz, the former American football coach, and current commentator once said, "Ability is what you're capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it."