Balotelli's Goal Today

[carl_feedthegoat]

ROBERTO MANCINI told Mario Balotelli he must buck up his ideas - despite a brilliant strike from the Italian bad boy.
The Manchester City boss saw his below-par side slip up in their push for a top-four place as Damien Duff cancelled out Balotelli's long-range beauty.

Mancini said: "I am not happy with Balotelli. He scored a great goal but I am not happy with his performance".

"To me, he should play better than he did today".

"For the strikers it is important to score but strikers should also play for the team, not only when we have the ball but when we lose it. Afterwards they can try and score!.

"You cannot always play well but the attitude is always important."

And Balo has plenty of Attitude...

[john68]

Thanks for posting that Carl.
The most significant part of that post was the bit that said;..."For the strikers it is important to score but strikers should also play for the team, not only when we have the ball but when we lose it. Afterwards they can try and score!."

Consider that it is usual for a player to have control of the ball only for about 2mins in any game. Then we have to look at what players do during the other 88 mins when they are not in control of the ball and how their actions during the other 88 mins affect the game.

[Ted Hughes]

I saw Balotelli play quite a few times for Inter but never really studied him. Chances to evaluate him for City have been rare but the more I see of him, the more he looks like a centre forward being asked to take up a range of completely unsuitable positions. If you were signing three players to play together up front in a balanced formation, you certainly wouldn't pick Tevez Balotelli & Dzeko, you'd want one of them to be more like Nani or Ronaldo or Messi etc.

Perhaps he can learn to be that player but he certainly isn't that player right now, he looks far better just playing a conventional role, as do Dzeko & Tevez. We should be rotating them, alongside wingers or creators, not lumping them all together & hoping it works.

[dazby]

I think he'll be as big a star as Henry was. When he truly integrates with the team and England in general, he'll be amazing.

[CityFanFromRome]

I saw Balotelli play quite a few times for Inter but never really studied him. Chances to evaluate him for City have been rare but the more I see of him, the more he looks like a centre forward being asked to take up a range of completely unsuitable positions. If you were signing three players to play together up front in a balanced formation, you certainly wouldn't pick Tevez Balotelli & Dzeko, you'd want one of them to be more like Nani or Ronaldo or Messi etc.

Perhaps he can learn to be that player but he certainly isn't that player right now, he looks far better just playing a conventional role, as do Dzeko & Tevez. We should be rotating them, alongside wingers or creators, not lumping them all together & hoping it works.

I see your point but Balotelli has played a lot as a "winger" or on the left flank anyway, at Inter, especially under Mancini. So he knows that position, and he did well there at Inter. The ones I think do occupy the same positions are Tevez and Dzeko, they truly are conventional centre forwards who like to play in the same zone more or less although Tevez does drop deeper to get the ball.

[Ted Hughes]

I saw Balotelli play quite a few times for Inter but never really studied him. Chances to evaluate him for City have been rare but the more I see of him, the more he looks like a centre forward being asked to take up a range of completely unsuitable positions. If you were signing three players to play together up front in a balanced formation, you certainly wouldn't pick Tevez Balotelli & Dzeko, you'd want one of them to be more like Nani or Ronaldo or Messi etc.

Perhaps he can learn to be that player but he certainly isn't that player right now, he looks far better just playing a conventional role, as do Dzeko & Tevez. We should be rotating them, alongside wingers or creators, not lumping them all together & hoping it works.

I see your point but Balotelli has played a lot as a "winger" or on the left flank anyway, at Inter, especially under Mancini. So he knows that position, and he did well there at Inter. The ones I think do occupy the same positions are Tevez and Dzeko, they truly are conventional centre forwards who like to play in the same zone more or less although Tevez does drop deeper to get the ball.

I know he played there for Inter but I tended to put that down to the fact that he was a kid being found a spot in the team because they didn't want to leave him out, as opposed to him actually being a wide player. He didn't look that impressive there either to me & flitted in & out of games just like he did yesterday. Same when he's played there for Italy; a peripheral figure. Hardly someone who would keep a genuine quality wide player out of the team. Also, I think playing that position in Italy is a completely different matter than doing it in England.

[ant london]

The more I see the more the comparison with C Ronaldo when he first got to the swamp strikes me. The Drogba comparison I understand but DD was a lot older than Balotelli when he arrived at Chelsea and his game was more complete, he just needed to stop being a diving whinging bastard. Balo is more talented than Drogba, he is in the Ronaldo league potentially BUT he needs to work on his game a lot.

He is still really raw in lots of ways but he really does look like he could have it all. That goal yesterday was just fantastic. I totally understand why some people find him infuriating but I think he is worth indulging and being patient with.

[Ted Hughes]

The more I see the more the comparison with C Ronaldo when he first got to the swamp strikes me. The Drogba comparison I understand but DD was a lot older than Balotelli when he arrived at Chelsea and his game was more complete, he just needed to stop being a diving whinging bastard. Balo is more talented than Drogba, he is in the Ronaldo league potentially BUT he needs to work on his game a lot.

He is still really raw in lots of ways but he really does look like he could have it all. That goal yesterday was just fantastic. I totally understand why some people find him infuriating but I think he is worth indulging and being patient with.

Ronaldo already played like a winger to start with though. I agree about Balotelli's talent but imo he looked miles better when Dzeko went off. Any two of those 3 with a top class dribbler, winger, creator to work with them & we may be in business but all 3 together is asking all of them to adapt their games & swap positions in the middle of a crucial season. It's fine to aim for that in the future but it's poor planning when we're trying to compete on 3 fronts imo. If we keep it up & it fails, Bob will be out of a job & Balotelli will do one.

We should have far more balanced attacking options rather than just AJ.

[ant london]

The more I see the more the comparison with C Ronaldo when he first got to the swamp strikes me. The Drogba comparison I understand but DD was a lot older than Balotelli when he arrived at Chelsea and his game was more complete, he just needed to stop being a diving whinging bastard. Balo is more talented than Drogba, he is in the Ronaldo league potentially BUT he needs to work on his game a lot.

He is still really raw in lots of ways but he really does look like he could have it all. That goal yesterday was just fantastic. I totally understand why some people find him infuriating but I think he is worth indulging and being patient with.

Ronaldo already played like a winger to start with though. I agree about Balotelli's talent but imo he looked miles better when Dzeko went off. Any two of those 3 with a top class dribbler, winger, creator to work with them & we may be in business but all 3 together is asking all of them to adapt their games & swap positions in the middle of a crucial season. It's fine to aim for that in the future but it's poor planning when we're trying to compete on 3 fronts imo. If we keep it up & it fails, Bob will be out of a job & Balotelli will do one.

We should have far more balanced attacking options rather than just AJ.

I don't disagree with you in terms of how it didn't work yesterday with the three of them and no supply line. I actually think Balotelli looks comfortable and dangerous positioned out on the flank but he's not primarily out there looking to create for others. That said, out of the three of them I think he does look like the one with most "guile" in terms of trying to play in the other two....although his decision-making yesterday was poor. I don't think Tevez and Dzeko are anything like incapable of doing that too but yesterday there wasn't much in the way of creativity from either of them.

I agree with you that I think it could work but now is not the time for experimentation on a grand scale. I have been one of his detractors but i think SWP would have added something yesterday...certainly more than James Milner did when he came on and was stuck out on the wing.

Agree that we need more balance....but any form of dynamism in midfield or on the flanks would have helped yesterday. I think Milner (even if he wasn't fully fit) would have added more had he been in the middle of the park with Barry or Vieira. I don't know why Mancini appears so reluctant to play him there when it's clear as day from his track record that this is where he is most useful/dangerous

[Ted Hughes]

The more I see the more the comparison with C Ronaldo when he first got to the swamp strikes me. The Drogba comparison I understand but DD was a lot older than Balotelli when he arrived at Chelsea and his game was more complete, he just needed to stop being a diving whinging bastard. Balo is more talented than Drogba, he is in the Ronaldo league potentially BUT he needs to work on his game a lot.

He is still really raw in lots of ways but he really does look like he could have it all. That goal yesterday was just fantastic. I totally understand why some people find him infuriating but I think he is worth indulging and being patient with.

Ronaldo already played like a winger to start with though. I agree about Balotelli's talent but imo he looked miles better when Dzeko went off. Any two of those 3 with a top class dribbler, winger, creator to work with them & we may be in business but all 3 together is asking all of them to adapt their games & swap positions in the middle of a crucial season. It's fine to aim for that in the future but it's poor planning when we're trying to compete on 3 fronts imo. If we keep it up & it fails, Bob will be out of a job & Balotelli will do one.

We should have far more balanced attacking options rather than just AJ.

I don't disagree with you in terms of how it didn't work yesterday with the three of them and no supply line. I actually think Balotelli looks comfortable and dangerous positioned out on the flank but he's not primarily out there looking to create for others. That said, out of the three of them I think he does look like the one with most "guile" in terms of trying to play in the other two....although his decision-making yesterday was poor. I don't think Tevez and Dzeko are anything like incapable of doing that too but yesterday there wasn't much in the way of creativity from either of them.

I agree with you that I think it could work but now is not the time for experimentation on a grand scale. I have been one of his detractors but i think SWP would have added something yesterday...certainly more than James Milner did when he came on and was stuck out on the wing.

Agree that we need more balance....but any form of dynamism in midfield or on the flanks would have helped yesterday. I think Milner (even if he wasn't fully fit) would have added more had he been in the middle of the park with Barry or Vieira. I don't know why Mancini appears so reluctant to play him there when it's clear as day from his track record that this is where he is most useful/dangerous

I too have been on SWP's case but he was the blindingly obvious choice yesterday & the crowd were shouting for him, so everything was set up for him to come on & raise the level, with the crowd cheering him on, which (just my opinion) is perhaps why Bob didn't put him on.

[john68]

Ted,
Just a thought mate...If as you have said you believe, that Tevez is on his way out in the summer. Could Mancini be considering our future srike force to be Mario and Dzeko, with ultimately, no Tevez in the picture?

[Ted Hughes]

Ted,
Just a thought mate...If as you have said you believe, that Tevez is on his way out in the summer. Could Mancini be considering our future srike force to be Mario and Dzeko, with ultimately, no Tevez in the picture?

It's not impossible & I can imagine them being a fantastic pairing in the future but of course we'd then still have to sign a replacement for Tevez because there are too many competitions to play with only 2 (or even 3 imo) strikers at the club. It would also mean we're relying on Balotelli for our success, & any £multi million business that based it's success on him keeping his act together would be guilty of negligence imo.

I could be totally wrong but I get the impression Bob was hoping for an 'A' team with Balotelli, Tevez & Dzeko interchanging positions, two fullbacks storming forward putting in passes, crosses, Silva pulling the strings & two rock solid midfielders holding it all together. Then all the team defends as one when we lose the ball, which is one reason we probably can't use that formation much atm even if the attack starts to work. So far, out of the new signings, imo only Silva has really been up to the job he's being askled to do. Balo & Dzeko wil get there though I'm sure.

I can see it working one day but not with Boateng & Kolarov & in the meantime, we have this season to deal with.

[Ted Hughes]

I'm not now convinced Tevez is going btw. I'm just not convinced he's staying either; I'd be pleasently surprised.

[john68]

I'm not now convinced Tevez is going btw. I'm just not convinced he's staying either; I'd be pleasently surprised.

...........but in the other hand...you are quite decisive.....:-)

[john68]

I think you are absolutely right with that game plan Ted and I am equally convinced that Mancini would agree. It would be an great master plan that would ensure balance all over the pitch and options both attacking and defending.

I am certain that is the way forward but that Mancini hasn't yet had as much chance as he would want to put it together. With injuries and the games coming thick and fast, his teams at the moment seem to be reactive to circumstance rather than freely picked with progress in mind.

Though neither Boateng nor Kolarov have impressed me greatly, I have not given up on them yet. It may be that Mancini sees them as intelligent players with the attributes he wants and feels that, over time, he can educate and improve them, much as he seems to have done with Micah.
Maybe a bit of World Cup hangover or the lack of a pre-season at City has had an effect, or just that trying to assimilate players is easier out of season, I'm not sure. I have always thought that it will be next season before we can make definitive judgements on them...and to some extent Dzeko.

[Lees Alter Ego]

Looks decent and does things that other players simply doesnt do but also does my head in. His attitude is a disgrace, just gives up half the time when the ball isn't played perfectly to him. Another booking as well last night theres a suprise. I can't see him being here for long. Be interesting to see how it pans out, I personally think he couldnt give two shtis about the club and will be off as soon as AC come knocking, time will tell I guess.

[Avalon]

It was a nice goal, but I sincerely hope he doesn't form part of our future.

I hope he ticks along nicely and chips in with a few goals, so we can get a reasonable amount for him in the summer and find a player who gives a shit about the club and fans who pay his wages.

That.

Sorry to say, but we don't. Our owner, lovely man as he is, is paying the wages, out of his own pocket.

As for his attitude... I think we should concern ourselves more on his performances, rather than a smile on his face. Let Mancini sort him out. If we keep slagging him off like that, I'm sure it won't improve.

[Mase]

To be fair to the lad, yesterday he did chase down a few lost balls and closed down defenders at the right time. There was one instance quite near the start of the match where the ball was played to him and it did look like it was going to go out for a goal kick. I think even he thought for a split second it would go out before carrying on to keep it in and put a fairly decent cross in.

I think in Italy he got away with far too much, and he's learning to change that over here. It won't happen over night though.

[Ted Hughes]

I think you are absolutely right with that game plan Ted and I am equally convinced that Mancini would agree. It would be an great master plan that would ensure balance all over the pitch and options both attacking and defending.

I am certain that is the way forward but that Mancini hasn't yet had as much chance as he would want to put it together. With injuries and the games coming thick and fast, his teams at the moment seem to be reactive to circumstance rather than freely picked with progress in mind.

Though neither Boateng nor Kolarov have impressed me greatly, I have not given up on them yet. It may be that Mancini sees them as intelligent players with the attributes he wants and feels that, over time, he can educate and improve them, much as he seems to have done with Micah.
Maybe a bit of World Cup hangover or the lack of a pre-season at City has had an effect, or just that trying to assimilate players is easier out of season, I'm not sure. I have always thought that it will be next season before we can make definitive judgements on them...and to some extent Dzeko.

I agree with most of that & I actually think Dzeko will come good this season, he was probably a bit knackered v Fulham as he won't be used to the intensity. I can see Boateng becoming a good defender over time & perhaps even Kolarov but I can't see them bombing up & down the wigs like Danny Alves etc, which it seems is what Bob wants. Kolarov is too slow & Boateng isn't a genuine attacking player.

Where I strongly disagree with Bob re attacking options is that he allowed this situation to develop, pretty much from pre season. Injuries happen. Who are the replacements in the squad for Robinho & Bellamy for instance? Both would be getting games now if they were with us & are not similar players to Balotelli or Dzeko; they gave us a different dimension. If he doesn't rate them, he still should have replaced them with better versions. Who is backup for Silva? We are playing enough games for players to be rotated every game, so that wouldn't be a problem. We have swapped players & swapped one set of problems for another rather than strengthening the squad to the extent we could have done. It's putting our whole season in jeopardy.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Looks like we are in for a nail biting end to the season when in all reality we should be a few points ahead in 3rd given the dropped points from Chelsea and spurs.

4th is imo not good enough as we will still have to qualify and that is no given.


It stinks....and it stinks because Mancini still has not got his tactics right....and that has cost us.