As ever with Mario Balotelli, the focus is on off-field matters and whether Roberto Mancini and Manchester City simply ran out of patience with the Italian striker. But Adam Bate argues that, despite all they hype, the player's biggest problems were on the field.
Wednesday 30 January 2013 08:55, UK
Adam Bate argues that goals rather than off-field antics have sealed the fate of Mario Balotelli.
For many Manchester City supporters, their patience was exhausted long ago. It was fun while it lasted, Mario, but it was time to go our separate ways. Such is the Balotelli narrative that the debate is framed in such a way as to review his City career as a series of incidents and accidents. "Seems like Balotelli has turned the corner from loveable rogue to nuisance for most City fans. What was the last straw?" asked Manchester Evening News reporter Rob Dawson on Twitter last week. So many to choose from. Some of them humorous. Others infuriating. Plenty of them untrue. The altercation that would most obviously fit the notion of a 'last straw' would be the training ground tussle with manager Roberto Mancini earlier this month. But like many of the headlines Balotelli generated following his arrival in England in 2010, even this had more froth than substance. It wasn't even obvious the player was to blame. No. Despite the fascination of the media and the appetite of the public for the latest anecdote, the mundane truth for Balotelli is that - like most footballers - his time at the club comes to an end because of his performances on the field. This season, they simply haven't been very good. Again, it's not about the drama. That came last season against Arsenal when Balotelli was red carded for an act of stupidity as City's title race looked to be run. "Arsenal away seems to be a tipping point for a few," replied one City fan to Dawson's Twitter question. And Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp articulates why. "He was sent off for Manchester City at Arsenal and betrayed his team-mates with an outrageous act of petulance," explained Redknapp in the Daily Mail. "If Manchester United had gone about their business in their normal professional manner, that would have been the single most significant moment that cost Manchester City the title. Instead, he is a champion - thanks mainly to the efforts of his team-mates while he was suspended." It's a harsh assessment fuelled more by the obvious frustrations that watching Balotelli can bring rather than rooted in fact. In truth, the striker's sending off didn't even cost City a point let alone the title. It came in the final minute at the Emirates Stadium with his team already losing to a Mikel Arteta strike at the other end of the pitch. A fact that - like Faustino Asprilla's magical moments for Newcastle back in 1996 - threatened to become lost in the wider narrative. Except Balotelli played his part in changing his own story. It was the Italian who provided the assist for Sergio Aguero in the final moment of that game against QPR. He contributed. Just as he contributed for much of the title-winning campaign. Certainly more than Carlos Tevez - a man who had effectively gone on strike for six months of that season (a far greater transgression than anything Balotelli has done, incidentally). But the difference does not come down to a comparison of off-field misdemeanours. It isn't even because of Tevez's more overt hustle and bustle, although that undoubtedly engenders more supporter sympathy. The key contrast is that Tevez has seven Premier League goals this season. Sergio Aguero has eight and Edin Dzeko 10. Balotelli has found the net just once. And that's the currency that has proven costly for Mario.Premier League 2011/12 best mins per goal (mins 10 goals) | |||
Player | Minutes Played | Goals | Mins per goal |
Cissé, Papiss | 1113 | 13 | 86 |
Balotelli, Mario | 1321 | 13 | 102 |
Rooney, Wayne | 2839 | 27 | 105 |
Dzeko, Edin | 1497 | 14 | 107 |
van Persie, Robin | 3334 | 30 | 111 |
Agüero, Sergio | 2600 | 23 | 113 |
Defoe, Jermain | 1287 | 11 | 117 |
Yakubu | 2451 | 17 | 144 |
Hernández, Javier | 1476 | 10 | 148 |
Holt, Grant | 2245 | 15 | 150 |
Maro Ballotelli in Premier League | ||
Season | 2011/12 | 2012/13 |
Appearances | 23 | 14 |
Minutes On Pitch | 1,321 | 588 |
Goal Attempts | ||
Goals | 13 | 1 |
Mins per goal | 102 | 588 |
Shots On Target | 32 | 6 |
Shots Off Target | 23 | 20 |
Shooting Accuracy | 58% | 23% |
Chance Conversion | 24% | 4% |
Blocked Shots | 27 | 8 |
Passing | ||
Goal Assists | 1 | 0 |
Chances created (inc. Assists) | 21 | 8 |
Mins per chance created | 63 | 74 |
Total Passes | 471 | 182 |
Pass Completion % | 77% | 80% |
Dribbling | ||
Dribbles & Runs | 49 | 19 |
Dribble Completion % | 45% | 42% |