Topic: Welcome to Liverpool - Mario Balotelli

[clinical]

KOLO / KOLO KOLO / KOLO KOLO / KOLO KOLO TOURE
BALO / BALO BALO / BALO BALO / BALO BALOTELLI
 

I said before I'm glad Kolo is staying simply for Balotelli.

[Buck Pete]

Remembering back, my first few days in a new job, I'd sit sheepishly in a corner and keep myself to myself for a few weeks.

Mario is straight in there having the crack.

Nice to hear what Zabeleta said about him being a great guy to have around, i can believe it.  I have a gut feeling this is going to be a brilliant signing

[Magix]

Oh no, Mario is already bringing Kolo down to his level!

[N0rnIr0nRed]

Major banter.

[Caston]

[robertobaggio37]

[clinical]

This thread will be huge by the end of the year

[Lippy The Lion]

Wait til he tries that on Flanno

[JustDan]

This thread will be huge by the end of the year

For sure, it'll be huge regardless. Hopefully for all the right reasons though

[SimplyRed91]

Wait til he tries that on Flanno

Imagine if he tried it on Ngog when he was here [emoji27]

[Chakan]

He would absolute dominate the world, if he could only figure out how to wear a bib.

[Anywhichwayicant]

What a beautiful sight.

[Ken-Obi]

Mario finally realising it's now or never?

[TheBazz]

This is how Premier League winners train, dont knock it.

[Funky_Gibbons]

This is how Premier League winners train, dont knock it.

Is that what your manager told you? 

[Michel]

Ι love Kolo.

[El jefe]

  Amazing

[EmotionalCitrus]

Kolo is the happiest man alive.

[Twitter.com]

[Severely]

I'm laughing so hard I can barely breathe.

[Haggis36]

I'm so excited about Super Mario! Really think he's gonna kick on here.

Question. We've all seemingly come to the conclusion (albeit maybe a bit early) than Daniel struggles up top on his own, certainly in the tougher games, and that he would benefit from having another striker up there with him, but if we didn't want to play two up top against say Chelsea or Arsenal away, how would people feel about Mario starting as a lone striker? From what I've seen of him at Milan his hold up play is excellent and he draws a shitload of fouls in and around the box, and he's strong enough to hold the ball for long enough that other players can get up in support or run off him, and he has the both the strength and technique to find teammates while holding off challenges.

I know the idea of starting without Sturridge in a big game unless he's injured may seem strange, but if we really wanted to play one up top I do think Balotelli is probably slightly better at it. Or is that just me?

[theMilkman]

I'm so excited about Super Mario! Really think he's gonna kick on here.

Question. We've all seemingly come to the conclusion (albeit maybe a bit early) than Daniel struggles up top on his own, certainly in the tougher games, and that he would benefit from having another striker up there with him, but if we didn't want to play two up top against say Chelsea or Arsenal away, how would people feel about Mario starting as a lone striker? From what I've seen of him at Milan his hold up play is excellent and he draws a shitload of fouls in and around the box, and he's strong enough to hold the ball for long enough that other players can get up in support or run off him, and he has the both the strength and technique to find teammates while holding off challenges.

I know the idea of starting without Sturridge in a big game unless he's injured may seem strange, but if we really wanted to play one up top I do think Balotelli is probably slightly better at it. Or is that just me?

I think the problem was more the ineffectiveness of coutinho on the left, rather than sturridge not being a good lone striker- he just wasn't really getting the service. He was inches offside for the disallowed goal and if moreno had squared it he'd have scored at 2-0 down. I think if we moved cou back into midfield and started markovic on the left we'd see a very lethal number 9. Though, I'm sure mario could do a pretty good job there as well.

The key difference for me would be sturridge's pace, even though mario is pretty quick too, against teams that try to play ball. Against the park the bus types we'd probably go with two strikers.

[Coolie High]

I'm so excited about Super Mario! Really think he's gonna kick on here.

Question. We've all seemingly come to the conclusion (albeit maybe a bit early) than Daniel struggles up top on his own, certainly in the tougher games, and that he would benefit from having another striker up there with him, but if we didn't want to play two up top against say Chelsea or Arsenal away, how would people feel about Mario starting as a lone striker? From what I've seen of him at Milan his hold up play is excellent and he draws a shitload of fouls in and around the box, and he's strong enough to hold the ball for long enough that other players can get up in support or run off him, and he has the both the strength and technique to find teammates while holding off challenges.

I know the idea of starting without Sturridge in a big game unless he's injured may seem strange, but if we really wanted to play one up top I do think Balotelli is probably slightly better at it. Or is that just me?

Balottelli's hold up play is better, but in most other areas Sturridge is much more polished. He will work harder for the team, has better movement and is just as likely to provide a moment of genius, they're about equal in the air as well.

[Cracking Left Foot]

I want Kolo and Mario to star in their own webseries. Just 2 minute clips of them shooting the shit during training. It'll be boss.

[Haggis36]

Balottelli's hold up play is better, but in most other areas Sturridge is much more polished. He will work harder for the team, has better movement and is just as likely to provide a moment of genius, they're about equal in the air as well.

Agree with that apart from the bolded bit, I think Balotelli is much more dangerous than Sturridge in the air.

I do think Sturridge is the better striker, I just wonder if we were going to go one up top in the tougher games if starting Balotelli over Sturridge makes more sense. I think Sturridge is more likely to get a goal when the ball arrives in the box, but I think Balotelli would help us more to get the ball in the box, if that makes sense. Sturridge's hold up play still needs a bit of work and unless the midfield is pushed up and the wide forwards contributing he sort of gets bullied out of games a bit; he can go ages without touching the ball.

I just think Mario would provide an interesting outball in those really difficult games that might help us get up the pitch. On the other hand Sturridge is the better player for counter attacking football. If you can get them both in then great - they've got different but complementary attributes. I just feel we lose a little something when we play the diamond and it puts a huge burden on whoever plays as the #10 to create pretty much everything.

[Twitter.com]

[MagicB8all]

He's a-dork-able ......

[theMilkman]

Agree with that apart from the bolded bit, I think Balotelli is much more dangerous than Sturridge in the air.

I do think Sturridge is the better striker, I just wonder if we were going to go one up top in the tougher games if starting Balotelli over Sturridge makes more sense. I think Sturridge is more likely to get a goal when the ball arrives in the box, but I think Balotelli would help us more to get the ball in the box, if that makes sense. Sturridge's hold up play still needs a bit of work and unless the midfield is pushed up and the wide forwards contributing he sort of gets bullied out of games a bit; he can go ages without touching the ball.

I just think Mario would provide an interesting outball in those really difficult games that might help us get up the pitch. On the other hand Sturridge is the better player for counter attacking football. If you can get them both in then great - they've got different but complementary attributes. I just feel we lose a little something when we play the diamond and it puts a huge burden on whoever plays as the #10 to create pretty much everything.

Based on the way mario has actually played in his career so far, as opposed to how we hope he plays for us consistently, I'd say mario is potentially a good target man. He's never been particularly prolific in the air, and on his whatever days he's absolutely atrocious. A lot of his goals seem to come when he's sent through and he spends a lot of time outside the box.

[elsewhere]

Were Mario and Kolo teammates in City?

[Twitter.com]

Were Mario and Kolo teammates in City?

Balotelli 0:15 - Kolo 0:34 

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/watch?v=VSidQMVneGk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/watch?v=VSidQMVneGk</a>

[Draex]

I think I've cracked why people say he's a poor trainer.. It's obvious from the pictures that he gets stuck putting on his bib and misses bits and thus is called lazy.

[The Mule]

Balottelli's hold up play is better, but in most other areas Sturridge is much more polished. He will work harder for the team, has better movement and is just as likely to provide a moment of genius, they're about equal in the air as well.

What?

Sturridge is quite poor in the air, where as Mario is fairly decent.

[digger barnes 87]

Already fouling our own players

Love Marshy laughing in the background!

[long.]

haha wonder if he'll exact some revenge on Can after his bulldozing in the preseason friendly

[Samie]

Love Marshy laughing in the background!

do we know who his wife is?

[ghandi13]

Loving Mario, I just it stays that way , I do want him to get rid of that Sky Blue boot though, it's annoying me!

[GoodKopBadKop]

How does everyone think we're going to use him then? when everyones fit like? in a 4-3-3 with Sturridge and Sterling wide, but then how does Sturridge take being shunted out wide for him? im thinking maybe the diamond we used a few times last season would work best:

.................................Mignolet

..Flannagan.....Skrtel.............Lovren......Moreno

.................................Gerrard

.............Henderson...................Allen

..................................Sterling

..................Sturridge...............Balotelli

[theMilkman]

How does everyone think we're going to use him then? when everyones fit like? in a 4-3-3 with Sturridge and Sterling wide, but then how does Sturridge take being shunted out wide for him? im thinking maybe the diamond we used a few times last season would work best:

.................................Mignolet

..Flannagan.....Skrtel.............Lovren......Moreno

.................................Gerrard

.............Henderson...................Allen

..................................Sterling

..................Sturridge...............Balotelli

I think there's a different thread for this? (The strongest team thread)

[ghandi13]

How does everyone think we're going to use him then? when everyones fit like? in a 4-3-3 with Sturridge and Sterling wide, but then how does Sturridge take being shunted out wide for him? im thinking maybe the diamond we used a few times last season would work best:

.................................Mignolet

..Flannagan.....Skrtel.............Lovren......Moreno

.................................Gerrard

.............Henderson...................Allen

..................................Sterling

..................Sturridge...............Balotelli

Mmm, your forgetting , Lalana and Markovis to come in, I don't see Allen playing on the left side of Mid, possibly away from home but never at home, again loads of options . It's a difficult one, we may even go 4-4-2 to give more width, that way you can fit both Sterling and lalana in the side. I don't want to loose Allen, he played well against City, but I can see why he's being linked with a move. He won't go though.

[El Ninos Black Eye]

It's like his evil nemesis

Still hasn't learnt to put a bib on!