Watching him during the Copa America, he’s snarled at the opposition, the officials and even his own players, to the point were they physically avoided him on the pitch. On the flip-side, it’s this attitude that pushed him more than other players and saw him being named player of the tournament; scoring 4 goals and lifting the trophy for his country for the first time since 1995. It’s this attitude that drags teams to a higher level. Just think of the breathtaking goals and chances Suarez created in his short time last season, without that belief in himself, without that dark side to him, he wouldn’t have it in him to try that kind of thing.
Likewise, Carroll who although may not quite be as much of a disciplinary concern on the pitch as his team-mate, has had his fair share of problems off it. He is a working class lad, he has that old ‘play hard, work hard’ sensibility about him that sees him chasing lost causes when he doesn’t need to and will no doubt see him commit silly fouls from time to time. However, it is the same will that’ll drive him to try 35 yard pile-drivers that should be beyond a player of his ability and rise a few extra inches above those jostling with him in the box at corners and free-kicks.
With a strike-force like this, we’re going to see as many fouls and cards as we are goals but they’re going to drive the opposition up the wall; they’ll be the complete scourge of Premier League defenders and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having these two up front excites me much more than any number of Michael Owen’s or the like. But there needs to be a balance to players like this, they can’t just be complete nut-cases and in Balotelli’s case, he has shown far too much of the unhinged side of his personality so far, without giving enough back on the pitch. There has been plenty of players like him in the past, some have erred on one side or the other; some have been great and some have gone the way of Edmundo or Gascoigne. But do you think that United fans would change Rooney for the world? Or that Liverpool fans of the 90’s would’ve swapped Fowler for anybody?
Whichever side you fall on, nobody can disagree with the fact that characters like these make football what it is. Without them, we’d be watching a very dull sport and I, for one, am glad that we have several of them on our side.
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This week it is LFC WAG Alex Curran!
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saw this on citys newsnow and thought what does this article have about it that concerns city, ive read it and i have to say its one of the best ive read on the balotelli ‘case’ and i completely agree with everything said.
nice point.makes a change from the useless jibberish thats more common to these pages….’ahem D Tully….
Good read. Watched Suarez in the Copa America and very glad he’s “ours” warts and all.