BALOTELLI'S GERRARD-PIRLO COMPARISON IS LAUGHABLE

Liverpool's controversial new striker really rates his club captain and even goes so far as to compare him with Italy's peerless midfield maestro. Is this just the latest example of Balotelli crazy talk?

D. Ray Morton, 16th October 2014.

Mario Balotelli, recently dropped by the Italian national team, certainly seems to be buddying up with his new captain, Steven Gerrard, recently retired from the England national team

Mario Balotelli has come out with yet another cracker of a statement. The Italian international, born in Palermo to Ghanaian immigrants, is known for coming out with controversial soundbites but this one seems outright bizarre.

Comparing his club captain, Steven Gerrard to his Italian teammate Andrea Pirlo, in an interview with Sport he said: "Gerrard is an amazing player. I had really not seen much of him before this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo."

He continued: "Vision, technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It’s going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future."

His words are complimentary, hugely so, but puzzling. Why would Balotelli compare two polar opposite player types with virtually nothing in common other than the fact that they have played in similar on-field positions, not roles, for the past twelve months?

Both players retired from international football after last summer's World Cup and as England fans released a collective sigh of relief for change, fans of the Azzurri started to panic. For their countries, Gerrard and Pirlo's contributions have been radically different. With Gerrard's legs having gone and the Liverpool skipper stepping aside, Roy Hodgson's team go in search of finding a new deep midfielder, someone with an engine to suit their direct game. In the case of Italy, finding a replacement seemed a hopeless task until new manager Antonio Conte immediately convinced the mercurial Juventus midfielder to come back. Truth of the matter is, at international level at least, Gerrard was never a key player for his country whereas an entire team, effectively so, was built around Pirlo.

Pirlo is also a born winner with the medals to prove it. He has won the highest domestic honour of becoming Serie A champion five times: twice with AC Milan and having just completed three-in-a-row, including an undefeated season (2011/12), with Juventus. He has bagged the Champions League twice with Milan and won the 2006 World Cup with the national side. Steven Gerrard has had successes, notably beating Pirlo's Milan in an unforgettable 2005 Champions League final triumph in Istanbul but domestically and internationally, he has always come up short, never winning that lucrative but elusive Premier League title.

Andrea Pirlo continues to play a key role for club and country but is rotated wisely to get the best out of his technical talent and invaluable experience

The England vs. Italy match at the World Cup just over three months ago demonstrated a gulf in quality or at least effectiveness. As England ran around like headless chickens, Pirlo orchestrated a possession masterclass with his side coming out 2-1 victors. It is perhaps this lack of international success that haunts Gerrard similarly to two other midfielders of England's "Golden Generation": Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard. While all three were heroes to their respective clubs, they never quite won over their entire nation the way Pirlo has.

With effective use of rotation from his club Juventus, Pirlo continues to be an important figure in their Serie A-leading side as Gerrard has had his critics this season for a loss of form. It seems Pirlo and those around him know who he is and how to use him better than how Liverpool and England have treated Gerrard. In his recent book, I Think Therefore I Play, Pirlo enlightens us about what kind of a person he is: "Generally-speaking, I reckon I'm a pretty switched-on guy. I've an opinion about everything and I'm not afraid to express it, defend it and, where necessary, shout it from the rooftops". 

This seems a world away from the bottled-up character of Gerrard which was revealed to us in March this year when he admitted he had been seeing a shrink, not just for on-field issues but also for issues in his personal life. Reflecting on his frustrated psychological state he revealed why: "...you bite your children’s heads off from time to time...blame Alex (Gerrard’s wife) for everything and blah, blah, blah!" and continued: "I am a lot more patient as a person now and I think I’ve improved as a person." This before THAT SLIP and the subsequent collapse of Liverpool's title charge followed by an even more miserable World Cup campaign.

So it seems Balotelli is quite a long way off when comparing these two vastly different personas. But hey, should we expect any bit of sense from Super Mario? Probably not.

GERRARD IS FINISHED AND RODGERS NEEDS AN EXIT STRATEGY

At thirty-four years of age and with his abilities in rapid decline, it is about time for Steven Gerrard to accept a backup role at Liverpool. If not, manager Brendan Rodgers needs to come up with a way of removing him from his starting eleven.

D. Ray Morton, 25th September 2014.

Brendan Rodgers has done his best to incorporate Steven Gerrard into his vision of this new Liverpool but how long can it last now?

When Brendan Rodgers took over at Liverpool, he knew the time would come when two Anfield stalwarts, Jamier Carragher and Steven Gerrard, would have to walk off into the sunset. Carragher retired from the game gracefully, bowing out when he knew he would have no significant role in Rodgers' possession-based game. How could "Carra" excel as a ball-playing defender in a team run by the man who had previously made Swansea City the Premier League's surprise possession-bossing team? He weighed up his options and stepped aside and now enjoys his role as an analyst for Sky Sports.

With Steven Gerrard, Rodgers would not have it so easy. He changed the team's playing style opting for a more direct, counter-attacking game. This fell in line with what some of the players were used to under previous managers and it also appealed to the Liverpool faithful who prefer a rapid pass-and-move game above a more methodical "tiki-taka"-like approach. In order to do this, Rodgers deployed Gerrard in the deep-lying playmaker role, the "quarter-back" that sits in front of the defence, sweeps up and looks to set up attacks with long diagonal passes to pacey wingers.

For most of last season, it worked a charm. Liverpool racked up enough goals to ignore their leaky defence line and came very close to winning the Premier League title before finally being pipped by Manchester City. Of course, the key moment in this late collapse was the now infamous slip against Chelsea in which Gerrard hesitated in possession, fell and allowed Demba Ba the clearest of one-on-one opportunities. The Senegalese scored and Liverpool's title challenge was as good as dead.

The "slip", an image that may haunt Gerrard forever

This terrible moment for the Liverpool captain was followed by an equally terrible World Cup. Gerrard was ineffective as England finished bottom of their group. Unsurprisingly, he retired from the international game concentrating on keeping himself as fit as possible for Liverpool's current campaign. It has not started well. Liverpool have lost three times in the league already and the optimism brought about by their shock second place finish last time out has subsided. With Daniel Sturridge out injured and Luis Suárez shipped off to Barcelona, the Reds look more like contenders for a Europa League spot rather than getting in to the top four.

Rodgers has to decide when to cut the chord. Steven Gerrard is not the "evergreen" Ryan Giggs who managed to fool a lot of professionals into thinking they can play on until the age of forty. Giggs operated in a reduced role for years under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He accepted that but chipped in with some important performances nevertheless. The feeling is not there that Gerrard can do a similar thing for Liverpool. Giggs always played in teams that had several stars, several match-winners. Even in his very prime, there was always two or three other players around him of equal, or possibly superior, talent. When Gerrard was at his very peak, aside from perhaps Fernando Torres, he was the star of the show and the man the Anfield crowd expected to change games. Those days are over.

Liverpool appear to have a lot of problems right now and as the season wears on, it will only get harder. Tougher games in the league, the domestic cups and the Champions League are ahead of them and only through rotating Gerrard and diminishing his key role can Liverpool manage to get through this season feeling they have done something productive.

PREMIER LEAGUE WRAP-UP AFTER WEEKEND 2

The English and Welsh Premier League is past its second weekend as title co-favourites Manchester City and Chelsea dominate whilst the supposedly revitalised Manchester United continue to falter.

 

D. Ray Morton, 26th August 2014.

Stevan Jovetic put in arguably his finest Premier league performance thus far last night as he scored twice to help Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad

The Good

Last night, Manchester City swept aside a defensively frail Liverpool side thanks to a fine brace from in-form Stevan Jovetic and another from substitute Sergio Agüero in an exciting clash at the Etihad. Liverpool scored one of their own through another sub, Rickie Lambert, but it was not enough to claw back against the defending champions. Jovetic's performance was particularly impressive demonstrating the pace and technique he had shown at his former club Fiorentina but was not seen much last campaign as he struggled with injuries. Edin Džeko is another luxurious forward option and with Álvaro Negredo yet to come back, one imagines goals should not be a problem for Manuel Pellegrini's team as the campaign wears on.

Tottenham are sitting pretty on top of the Premier League table thanks to a storming win against Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino's men strolled to a 4-0 victory against former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's newly-promoted relegation candidates. The manner of the victory was worth taking note of. Spurs pressed extremely well and managed to keep possession beautifully throughout. This was the brand of football the Tottenham faithful wished for last season but it never materialised under André Villas-Boas or the man who followed him, Tim Sherwood. Érik Lamela impressed again and the club record signing is starting to show signs that he will not continue to be the flop that he was last season. New recruit, Eric Dier looks like an early candidate for signing of the season. Pochettino is developing a collective confidence at Spurs and as long as their players continue to grasp his philosophy, they will push hard for a Champions League spot. 

Tottenham celebrate during their 4-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers

Speaking of Champions League spots, we move onto...

The Bad

 

Another disappointing weekend for Manchester United. This was the side that was supposed to pull up its pants this season, attack the top four spots and maybe even make a run for the title. Instead, two weeks in, they look like a shambles. Louis van Gaal's three at the back continues to struggle and their 1-1 away draw to Sunderland was lucky if anything as the Black Cats played the better football. Marcos Rojo and Ángel Di Maria (a reported €80m record signing) are set to come in soon and the other major clubs will get stuck into their European campaigns but big questions are being asked already. Is three at the back the way forward in a league that predominantly features lone striker formations? Will doubts creep in? Will the new players bed in or become expensive failures? Right now it is looking grim. Even if they continue to throw their money around and go after further targets before 1st September, such a rapidly slapped together XI could struggle some more. Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Rojo and Di Maria are all fine players but are not the types to run things on their own.

Di Maria in at Manchester United but that is no guarantee of immediate success

We have already mentioned Liverpool but did not mention the signing of Mario Balotelli. At €20m, it represents a potential bargain but the entire deal is somewhat puzzling. AC Milan were very quick to show him the door despite not having that many great strikers at San Siro already. Filippo Inzaghi became disillusioned with his presence and felt he was a poisonous presence in the dressing room. Brendan Rodgers has dealt with some bad boys in the past but "Super Mario" brings that to a whole new level. Even if he behaves himself off the pitch, he can be a right nuisance on the pitch when things do not go his way. Last season at Milan, he tended to sulk and move around very little if he felt the team was not playing well. Such arrogance, laziness, whatever you will call it, could simply not be accepted under the glaring cameras and the loud-mouthed reactions of the Premier League machine. Balotelli brings his best in patches. That is what he has done throughout his whole career. He may score a free-kick or two but do not expect a Luis Suárez replacement.

Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Kenny Dalglish all happy...before Liverpool proceeded to get thumped by Manchester City

Results

Saturday

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Chelsea 2-0 Leicester (D. Costa, E. Hazard)

Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham (Chamakh; Zaraté, Downing, C. Cole)

Southampton 0-0 West Brom

Swansea 1-0 Burnley (N. Dyer)

Everton 2-2 Arsenal (Coleman, Naismith; Ramsey, Giroud)

Sunday

Hull City 1-1 Stoke City (Jelavic; Shawcross)

Tottenham 4-0 QPR (Chadli 2, Dier, Adebayor)

Sunderland 1-1 Manchester United (Rodwell; Mata)

Monday

Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool (Jovetic 2, Agüero; Lambert)

"CRYSTAL" PULIS MASTERMINDS LIVERPOOL COLLAPSE

D. Ray Morton, 6th May 2014.

 Dwight Gayle reels away in celebration after scoring Crystal Palace's late equaliser

The travelling Liverpool fans belted out "we're going to win the league" around Selhurst Park last night after their side had taken a commanding three goal lead against Crystal Palace. This happened before Tony Pulis' team completed the shock comeback of the season in order to crush any last hope of the Premier League title going to Merseyside. Perhaps the opportunity had already been blown but this 3-3 draw was one of the final nails in the coffin. They can still, mathematically, win the league but Manchester City would have to fail spectacularly with only Aston Villa and West Ham to play, both at the Etihad.

A true fall apart, some have described last night's action as "Istanbul in reverse". Cruising to the point where the foot was mildly off the pedal in terms of finishing, the visiting fans yelled "attack, attack, attack!" in anticipation of another high-scoring, dominant victory. Tony Pulis had other ideas, however. A good manager will still have a game plan when his side are trailing by two goals going into the last twenty minutes but rarely can a boss change things when three behind. Pulis saw a weakness in Liverpool's defence and his impact sub, Dwight Gayle, was deployed to devastating effect. The ex-Arsenal youth player, who had to drop down to non-league football at one stage, ripped The Reds' defence apart with his pace and bagged a superb brace to crush Liverpool's spirit.

Pulis deserves massive credit and should probably be awarded the Manager of the Year prize which had been booked for Brendan Rodgers had he been able to secure a long-awaited but unlikely league title win. With nothing to work with resources-wise, Pulis has turned this Palace side into one of the most stubborn in the Premier League, a complete transformation from the Ian Holloway-led relegation candidates that started out the season.

Long-ball Stoke jokes are out of fashion as Pulis demonstrates his managerial chops at Palace

Luis Suarez had to cover his face after the final whistle as captain Steven Gerrard put his arm around him and shoved cameramen away as he attempted to console the Uruguayan. Only weeks earlier, Gerrard had been kissing cameras, so optimistic was the mood around the club. We can't tell whether Suarez was even crying beneath the veil of his jersey. He could have just as easily been laughing hysterically in irony, incredulous that Liverpool could concede so many after he and strike partner Daniel Sturridge ripped apart opposition defences with their combined 52 league goals this term.

This entire whirlwind of events has left audiences puzzled, neutrals unsure how to take it all in. A month or two ago, Liverpool had become many fans' (Manchester United and Everton followers excluded) second team with their dazzling displays of attacking football. Now their defending has become so farcical that it's hard to respect their almost suicidal insistence on only attempting to outscore their opponents. The positivity has soured and hope went from cockiness to what is currently despair. On the whole, however, Liverpool should still consider this season a success looking at their improvement in league position. They would have happily taken second place when asked at the start of the campaign.

What happens next season is intriguing. Having missed out on the title, Suarez will be more tempted than ever should Real Madrid come knocking. It's a once in a lifetime chance to play at the world's most successful club and it will be very hard to keep him. The received fee could be astronomical and that would allow Brendan Rodgers to invest in some real defenders and a Suarez replacement. Someone like Juventus' Carlos Tevez would be ideal should he become available. The restructuring need not be dramatic but it will need to take place with the possibility of a resurgent Man United competing with and against City, Chelsea and Arsenal next season.

HAVE LIVERPOOL BLOWN THEIR BIG CHANCE?

D. Ray Morton, 27th April 2014.

 Demba Ba scores Chelsea's opener capitalising on Gerrard's mistake

Sunday's Premier League action saw Chelsea defeat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield as Manchester City later put two past Crystal Palace on their travels to add yet another twist to this incredible title race.  City have three remaining matches and barring an unlikely turnaround of their goal difference advantage, a trifecta of victories will hand them the championship crown.

Manchester City's destiny is now in their own hands
 

Liverpool's horror afternoon was largely due to the poor performance of their captain, Steven Gerrard, whose erroneous slip cost them Demba Ba's opener. Chelsea sat very deep with the second string side Jose Mourinho had warned he would field in order to rest players for their second leg Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid in mid-week. The underdog mind game comment worked a treat.

 

 Captain Gerrard's performance was poor at the time they needed him the most

Gerrard's game was panicked and he wasted possession several times with speculative long shots. Reds' talismanic striker Luis Suarez struggled to make an impact and was marshalled effectively by rookie defender Tomas Kalac.  Daniel Sturridge couldn't find spaces and his dismal showing lead to Chelsea's second when substitute Fernando Torres combined with Willian on the counter who walked it into an empty goal.

Willian had all the time in the world after he broke free with Torres during a late counter attack
 

Liverpool will take part in the Champions League next season and it should be interesting to see how they will deal with the busier schedule. Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are used to that situation but Brendan Rodgers' squad will have to be strengthened in the summer. Mourinho's Chelsea will be very strong as soon as they sign a world class striker, most likely Atletico's Diego Costa. City will spend too. Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton will also do their best to improve.
 

The chance of winning a title for Liverpool doesn't come along too often and there is now a sinking feeling about this season and that maybe the talk of it being their year had been too premature.

LIVERPOOL TITLE PUSH BUILDS NEXT SEASON

LIVERPOOL TITLE PUSH BUILDS NEXT SEASON

D. Ray Morton, 2nd March 2014.

It was billed as the kind of game that would stop Liverpool's title momentum but yesterday at St. Mary's, The Reds brushed aside Southampton in a thoroughly professional performance which keeps them very much in the title chase with ten games left to play. Though Chelsea go four points clear thanks to their win against Fulham and Manchester City can draw level on points granted they win their two games in hand, should Liverpool keep picking up wins, this could be their year. Regardless of whether Chelsea and City slip, or if Arsenal manage to rediscover their form, when Liverpool's season finishes, they have an awesome platform for next year. It is highly unlikely that they would now finish outside a Champions League qualification spot.

The opening quarter of an hour was actually rather sloppy, with both teams giving away possession in an attempt to figure each other out. Luis Suarez gave Liverpool the lead thanks to some dogged harrying of Southampton's defence which lead to a mistake by Jose Fonte to which the Uruguayan punished with an accurate first-time finish. A good way to start his 100th Premier League appearance.

 

Southampton did not roll over however and they managed to get hold of the ball and create chances. Adam Lallana especially impressed as he managed to trouble Liverpool's back four by turning up in different positions and testing them with his mazy dribbling skills. Had Rickie Lambert's finishing on the day been better, The Saints could have drawn level before the interval.

Lallana should be going to Brazil with the England squad come the summer. Lambert looked far off that standard. Indeed, Lallana hit the woodwork on 32 minutes where Southampton began to dominate possession as Brendan Rodgers' side sat off the home team. Jay Rodriguez came close just before half-time but was denied by a good save from Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool switched things up in the second half and brought on Raheem Sterling for Philippe Coutinho early after the restart. Within eighty seconds, the diminutive winger had found himself on the scoresheet. Suarez worked the ball down the right a provided a cross as Sterling got into the perfect position to slot home unmarked inside the Southampton penalty area.

From there, the away side managed to kill the game off by defending well and pressing Southampton who had 60% of the ball but were not able to do much with it. It was a demonstration of devastating counter attacking play, very different from Rodgers' Swansea who insisted on possession over incisiveness. The away fans were the only ones singing and Suarez helped complete the victory by winning a penalty in injury time. Steven Gerrard duly dispatched it to give the visitors a 3-0 win.

So a solid win for a team in form. With ten games remaining, it's not unthinkable for Liverpool to pinch the title but realistically, the optimism should be geared towards next season. Champions League football and the likelihood that Luis Suarez will stay should attract better players to the club and Rodgers will be able to invest in badly-needed defenders and a few more specialists to fill up his squad.

Southampton 0-3 Liverpool (Suarez 16, Sterling 58, Gerrard 90+ pen)

Player ratings:

Southampton: Boruc (6); Chambers (6), Lovren (5), Fonte (4.5), Shaw (6); Schneiderlin (6), Cork (6); Davis (5.5), Lallana (7), Rodriguez (6.5); Lambert (5). Subs: Gaston (5), Wanyama (5.5), Gallagher (5).

Liverpool: Mignolet (6.5); Flanagan (6.5), Skrtel (6.5), Agger (6.5), Johnson (6.5); Gerrard (7), Henderson (6.5), Allen (6.5); Coutinho (6.5); Sturridge (6.5), Suarez* (9) Subs: Sterling (7.5), Aspas (-).

* = man of the match

JANUARY DEADLINE DAY - DESPERATION OR DEAL?

We enter January's transfer deadline day where clubs around Europe will scramble to put together last minute deals, whether it be that star player to bring your team to the next level or just recruiting a useful player to bolster one's squad for the second half of the season. No doubt Jim White will be busy but let's now look at some of January's better (and worse) deals.

The Good

In January 2010, Liverpool made arguably their greatest signing of a generation in bringing in Luis Suarez for a fee of £23m. At the time however, not many expected Suarez to reach the dizzying heights he has done. Coming from Ajax where he had scored a decent amount of goals, many had suspected he could struggle in the Premier League against tougher defences. Flash forward to 2014 and Suarez is now one of the hottest properties in world football. Liverpool have had to restructure their wage budget and offer him a bumper contract in order to fight off interest from Real Madrid.

During the same window, Stoke City acquired an obscure Portsmouth goalkeeper by the name of Asmir Begovic for just over £3m. A relative unknown at the time, due to being loaned out over several seasons by his parent club, Begovic's impact at Stoke has been a revelation leading him to be linked to bigger clubs in recent times - Manchester United until David De Gea refound his form and more recently, Manchester City due to Joe Hart's shaky performances between the sticks this season.

The Bad

An obvious frontrunner in this category is poor old Fernando Torres. In January 2011, Chelsea splashed out an incredible £50m on the Spanish international who had taken the Premier League by storm in his years at Liverpool. Needless to say to anyone who has watched Chelsea in the past two and a half years, Torres has been little more than a classic, expensive flop. Having lost a yard of pace, the goals never really came apart from a few fits here and there. Unless his form drastically changes, the deal might go down as one of the worst in EPL history. Torres would need a miracle to get into the Spanish World Cup squad, let alone establish himself as a world class striker in England's top flight again.

A deal which took place in the same window, off-shot by the Torres deal, was Andy Carroll's move from Newcastle United to Liverpool for an absolutely mind-boggling £35m. Manager Kenny Dalglish felt the fee was justified by the money they got for Torres and like the Spaniard, Carroll flopped like a fish out of water. As soon as Brendan Rodgers took over at Anfield, big Andy was quickly shipped off to West Ham, the new gaffer sensing that the immobile target man had no place in his vision for a fluid, possession-based style of play.

A perfect example of why clubs should buy with caution in January

The Ugly

The ugly side of the January transfer window deadline day is not necessarily the desperate hunt for last minute deals which clubs find themselves in. This is understandable, as many teams get ravaged with injuries over the busy Christmas period but the out-and-out media circus that comes with it is probably most annoying. Harry Redknapp's head sticking out of a car window, Peter Odemwingie turning up at clubs that don't want to sign him and all those flashy countdowns and bright gold splashed over Sky Sports News can drive any football fan mad. Do yourself a favour - leave the telly off and read about the done deals tomorrow!

D. Ray Morton, 31 January 2014.