Italy Wrong to Omit Mario Balotelli Again
Mario Balotelli’s reputation for misbehavior and some lack of maturity is really more of a media construct than a reality. Italy’s coach Giampiero Ventura left Balotelli off its most recent World Cup qualifying roster, but Balotelli has performed excellently for Italy in the past when it really mattered.
Italy is of course always open to recalling Balotelli, but it seems that Balotelli’s excellent form for Nice in Ligue 1 is being minimized due to minor comical incidents in the past that don’t matter.
It makes sense to contend that only two months of consistent, excellent form isn’t that much, but Italy doesn’t really have any other center forwards of Balotelli’s quality and experience. It’s also important to remember that Balotelli is a big-game player who really delivers under pressure. While Zaza can lead the line and Ciro Immobile is a talented striker, the thing about Balotelli is that he’s a world-class talent who really can score on anyone at any time.
The striker’s current form and goal-scoring rate more than merit a national team call-up for at least a back-up striker position. With Balotelli, one gets the sense that harmless, funny anecdotes about Balotelli are blown way of proportion. It’s a shame that Balotelli constantly has his past held against him. Currently, Balotelli is scoring a game per game for an excellent team in Nice, and an Italy selection based on current form and performances is warranted.
Additionally, there’s a strong argument that any possibility of Balotelli picking up a silly card is far outweighed by his ability to win games and score for Italy. Like other Italy coaches, Ventura was quick to say that no one has ever doubted Balotelli’s technical ability and overall quality as a player, but Balotelli’s two-month run of excellent form is still deemed to be not long enough. Maybe not starting Balotelli for Italy is a justifiable position, but not even having him as a center forward option off the bench comes off as being too confident in Italy’s ability to easily qualify from their group.
Good reports about Balotelli’s behavior from Nice should shift the focus back to Balotelli’s actual abilities. As a player, the Italian striker is excellent stretching the defense, holding up play, finishing with both feet, beating players 1v1, and taking and scoring off set pieces. Balotelli is an amazing athlete with world-class technical skill who doesn’t need to be told to aggressively attack the goal. More than a goal-scorer, Balotelli is a complete player who can quickly combine with his teammates with short 1-2 touch passes, and he can pass over distance and unlock defense. Matteo Bonetti of beIN Sports has often pointed out how Balotelli’s passing ability and style of play perhaps makes him more of a second striker than a Number 9, and this is another example of Balotelli’s range of skills.
A return to international soccer for the Italian would be good for Italy and good for the sport, as Balotelli is the type of player who brings quality and magic to the game. No matter how soon Balotelli returns to the Italy squad, he needs to continue his great form with Nice so criticisms of his behavior and mentality are a thing of the past.