Mario Balotelli has been a lightning rod for debate throughout his professional career. One reason for that has been his elite talent level. Some people will disagree that he has such a high skill set but if that weren’t true, there would be far fewer managers putting their reputations on the line to gamble on him and the chance that he will produce for them. If the talent wasn’t there with Balotelli, then at this point he would have already been forgotten as a player that never lived up to his potential and never will.
The trouble with Super Mario is that we get glimpses of what he’s capable of on the pitch and then also get maddening shenanigans, such as one of his latest Instagram posts:
That post earned him a $25,000 fine and a suspension for Saturday’s game against Arsenal. So what’s with Balotelli? Why is it that we can’t get more of the Super Mario and less of the nonsense?
Doesn’t Have The Ability To Adapt
The biggest problem with Balotelli throughout his young career has been his inability to adapt. It certainly hasn’t helped him that he has been moved around so much over the past couple of years, including his time with the Italian national team. Balotelli thrived early on in his career at Manchester City but struggled in his final year before he moved to Milan. After just one year there, he moved back to the Premier League to join Liverpool. Factor in his time with the Italian squad and he has played for four different clubs in the past two years. That’s a lot to ask of a player that has struggled to adapt to change both on and off the field – especially when talking about the different styles of the teams he has had to play with.
Square Peg In A Round Hole
That is certainly true about his current team Liverpool where a style of play that doesn’t suit his skill set. That’s been a prime factor in his falling out of favor this season. Desperate for offense after Luis Suarez left for Barcelona, it was Liverpool that reached out to Milan to find a way to bring Balotelli back to the Premier League. But he has struggled to keep up with the offense he has been inserted into.
Balotelli is a holding striker that likes to slow down the pace around him and use his strength and size to score goals – both with his shooting skill and ability to convert with his head on balls in to the box. Balotelli hasn’t looked nearly as comfortable trying to keep up with the much quicker pace that Liverpool plays with and that is another reason for why he has been so bad this season. He does what he does, he has his strengths and doesn’t seem malleable to fit other schemes. Unless he’s in the perfect situation, we don’t know what we’ll get from the enigmatic striker.
Doesn’t Have The Mentality Of A Winner
The final factor to point out in Balotelli’s struggles is his own mental attitude. It has seemed – at least on the surface – as if the star striker is much more likely to blame those around him rather than taking accountability for his struggles. Italy manager Antonio Conte made Balotelli a surprise call up for the national team feeling that he could benefit dramatically from a change in scenery but that will only happen if he can focus and play with a chip on his shoulder as though he has something to prove rather than waiting for everything to come together perfectly around him. It’s important to remember that he’s only 24 years old, so some of the petulance and lack of accountability can be tied to his age.
There has been a lot that has contributed to Balotelli’s struggles over the past two years but the underlying factor and most important thing that has to change is his attitude and ability to stay mentally strong.
