The Champions' League Thread 2013-14: Page 28 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

The Champions' League Thread 2013-14

Timbob

Klaus wrote:
Timothy wrote:
No its not. Have you read the passage?

Yes.

otfgoon wrote:
You make it sound like as if he's been hidden away in Serie A for years 😆

No, I'm just judging him based on the player he is today, not shit he did three years ago.

Well then it's my opinion that you've misunderstood it.

And this time last year Balotelli was stinking the place up at Man City, getting in to fist fights with his team mates and manager. Hardly ancient history.

Volante

Timothy wrote:
And this time last year Balotelli was stinking the place up at Man City, getting in to fist fights with his team mates and manager.

And then he went to Milan and scored a goal a game in Serie A where, on average, it's harder to score than in the Premier League/La Liga/Bundesliga.

goon

Still hasn't scored more than 13 league goals in his career mind you.

Also, Balotelli today is currently suspended for being an idiot.

Klaus

Tim: We've already established he's immature. What else is new? Suarez by comparison has been suspended for, what, 18 games in the last two years because he's bitten and racially abused other players?

I honestly can't be arsed with this discussion though. If Balotelli is serious he'll prove you wrong in due time. He's a young player with a mean amount of talent. Most managers would jump at the opportunity to mould such a player into a complete striker. Wenger is no exception.

Timbob

Yeah, he did well for 1/3 of 1 season. I didn't say he was a total pile of shit player.

Timbob

Klaus wrote:
I honestly can't be arsed with this discussion though. If Balotelli is serious he'll prove you wrong in due time. He's a young player with a mean amount of talent. Most managers would jump at the opportunity to mould such a player into a complete striker. Wenger is no exception.

Aye, fair enough.

Don't think Wenger would unless it was an absolute bargain, but there you go.

Burnwinter

It's obvious even from a distance that Balotelli's disciplinary issues originate from a different place than Suarez's.

Their flareups originate and manifest themselves differently. Suarez is the type of guy who gets himself sent off cheating and griefing to try to win, whereas Balotelli's more trollee than troll that I've seen - an emotionally fragile person, more like a young Rooney or Van Persie. Because we've seen it before, I'm inclined to agree with Klaus and believe it's possible that he can become stable and productive.

Pro football is evidently traumatic for Balotelli but he'll become more resilient - in Suarez's case, a jerk is a jerk, but he's probably smart enough to realise he can't get away with as much biting and racism now.

A patient manager with capital to burn while Balotelli works things out is needed. Wenger could do it because he's unsackable at Arsenal apparently.

banduan

wtf

http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/shocking-ajax-ultras-fired-three-bullets-at-celtic-fans-through-a-glass-window-picture/#.UnqOJECOV8Y.twitter

just not on

y va marquer

Timothy wrote:
y va marquer wrote:
Appears to me that Balotelli expects the game to serve him.

Yeah, thats from Bergkamps book isn't it? Sums Balotelli up perfectly.

It is.
I saw qs mentioned it as something he kept in mind when assessing players and I immediately thought of Balotelli.

It's a very romantic notion thinking that all Balotelli needs to realise his talent is a shoulder around the arm and a patient manager.
That may have been true when he was in his teens, but he's pushing 24 now and he's not shown any signs of really maturing.
I can see the attraction in the sense that he could be outstanding if he were to put aside his issues but I don't think he ever will.
If you put a character like that in a healthy team environment and then accord him specific "fatherly" treatment you could end up with a pretty dysfuntional environment that's governed by the behaviour of one individual.
No thanks.

Burnwinter

Hey, I can't help it if I'm a footballing romantic.

You're right though, maybe it is all a bit late for him. It's not like football's short of amazingly egotistic strikers that expect the team to be built around them, though.

y va marquer

I'm a football romatic too 🙂 but only in relation to characters like Ramsey who've come back fighting from the pits of career threatening football hell.

The Balotellis of the game are entertaining, and intermittently a joy to watch, but only when they're somebody else's problem.

Burnwinter

Balotelli's a Heathcliffian type of character.

I guess Ramsey's more Mr Bingley if that's your type. 😃

y va marquer

Heathcliff - you'd want to be off your head to have him as your type 🙂
Ramsey's no Bingley despite the neat clean cuttedness, he's more Darcy.
He's not a Rochester though.

Burnwinter

😆 I worry Jack may be a bit of a Wickham.

Scott Parker's probably Mr Collins.

y va marquer

😆
No, remember this?
He's Ripley

Burnwinter

😆 That's right.

Actually I'd say Ramsey's looking like d'Artagnan right now.

goon

AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has to improve according to AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Balotelli, when not suspended, has been a regular starter since joining Milan from Manchester City in January but found himself out of the starting line-up for the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Allegri said: "He hasn't played very well in the last few games and has been recovering from the injury he suffered with the national team, so I preferred to start with the Kaka-Robinho combination.

"Balotelli is not a problem, and he did very well when he came on at halftime. He has extraordinary qualities but he has to improve in the context of the team."

Klaus

Allegri is the main reason no one at Milan is doing well this season. When your team amass 12 points from 11 games you're supposed to look at your own failures as a manager and a tactician before you talk about how individual players should improve.

Volante

I really enjoy the way Diego Simeone uses Raul Garcia off of Diego Costa. It's not the prettiest pairing, but it's pretty effective. It's easy to envisage Ramsey excelling in that sort of role off of a centre forward like Giroud in a 'compact', hard working style of team.

USArsenal

so, Subotic is out for the season.. blow to Dortmund and their chances this year..

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1612093/borussia-dortmund-neven-subotic-ruled-season?cc=5901

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