09-12-2013, 06:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-12-2013, 07:00 AM by Nalx.)
(09-11-2013, 02:52 PM)Danny Wrote: Does Balo have the stuff to be as good as Ibra? Is he already there? Can he be better? Or...is he over-rated by many including me?
Does Balo have the stuff to be as good as Ibra? Definitely. It's easy to see why he was often compared to Ibra. Both are strikers with imposing physiques, have good ball-skills to play comfortably as a CF or SS, and not to mention the healthy dose of selfishness, a trait shared amongst great strikers.
Is he already there? I don't think he's there yet. I think Ibra played a bigger role for those league's winning clubs he'd joined in than Balo whose influence was more limited because he often came from the bench. Part of the reason why Balo wasn't the main protagonist until he moved to Milan was because he had older, more proven strikers ahead of him (Eto'o and Milito at Inter, Tevez and Dzeko at City), while on the other hand Ibra has always been the first choice for most of his career at Ajax, Juve, Inter, Milan, and now PSG, with Barca might be the only exception.
Can he be better? Well it depends on a lot of things, some of them are out of his control. Sure, potential-wise he's on par with Ibra but the latter has been really lucky not to have a major injury. What if Balo gets a freaky one or even two like what befell Giuseppe Rossi? Does he have the mental strength in him to bounce back? If Ibra is pretty much settled down with his wife and kids, will Balo find the same serenity with regards to his personal life?
Is he over-rated? Well personally, while I think Balo is Milan and Italy best striker now, I'm yet to see him in a truly mesmerising performance. I first knew about Ibra when I saw him bamboozled Paolo with his tricky step-over and dribble in some tournament (Amsterdam trophy?) years ago. Since then he had scored some jaw-dropping goals like when he dribbled past half of NAC Breda team, or that bicycle kick against England. When it was obvious he wanted to kick the ball instead of taking it down, I was like "What were you thinking?", and when it ricocheted majestically into the net, I completely lost it, "What's that? WHAT THE F**K IS THAT!!!!!" 
per l'amaro e il dolce
09-12-2013, 02:41 PM
Simply the best
lets slow down a bit. ibra, during his time in milan, was top striker in the world and top 3 players in the world.
the only thing they have in common is a mentality of an asshole.
balo is still young. if he concetrates on his play instead of whining bitching and arguing with everyone, imho he can reach that level.
(09-12-2013, 05:41 AM)mzk57 Wrote: (09-12-2013, 05:17 AM)ZvonimirBoban Wrote: What gives you the right to close this thread? The fact that I am the most critical analyst on this forum.
Wait... is Balo or Ibra the ugly one? 
I think that Nalx got it spot on the subject. I think that a player can always get better, be him 15 years old or 40. Playing football at a high-level depends on so many things that include personal relationships, determination, luck (with injuries and stuff), learning ability etc.
Balo at the moment is a good player, with excellent physical and technical attributes. Like Nalx said, besides that Italy vs Germany game, I'm yet to see him being an absolute beast in lots of games, being the one who everyone is looking (maybe even unconsciously) to pass the ball to (although that wasn't really the case with Ibra, as if you didn't pass he would kick you in the head ).
Maybe he's overrated as the saviour of Milan and Italy, but he's definitely the most prone of doing so in the current squads. If he stays more on the ground and stop complaining so much I'd be already delighted with him. He should be brainwashed with those games from the decades of 60,70 when you had to spit blood so it could be a foul.
Ibra is a different kind of no9. He is pretty much a combo of 9 and 10. While Mario is more of a pure no9.
(09-12-2013, 06:54 AM)Nalx Wrote: (09-11-2013, 02:52 PM)Danny Wrote: Does Balo have the stuff to be as good as Ibra? Is he already there? Can he be better? Or...is he over-rated by many including me?
Does Balo have the stuff to be as good as Ibra? Definitely. It's easy to see why he was often compared to Ibra. Both are strikers with imposing physiques, have good ball-skills to play comfortably as a CF or SS, and not to mention the healthy dose of selfishness, a trait shared amongst great strikers.
Is he already there? I don't think he's there yet. I think Ibra played a bigger role for those league's winning clubs he'd joined in than Balo whose influence was more limited because he often came from the bench. Part of the reason why Balo wasn't the main protagonist until he moved to Milan was because he had older, more proven strikers ahead of him (Eto'o and Milito at Inter, Tevez and Dzeko at City), while on the other hand Ibra has always been the first choice for most of his career at Ajax, Juve, Inter, Milan, and now PSG, with Barca might be the only exception.
Can he be better? Well it depends on a lot of things, some of them are out of his control. Sure, potential-wise he's on par with Ibra but the latter has been really lucky not to have a major injury. What if Balo gets a freaky one or even two like what befell Giuseppe Rossi? Does he have the mental strength in him to bounce back? If Ibra is pretty much settled down with his wife and kids, will Balo find the same serenity with regards to his personal life?
Is he over-rated? Well personally, while I think Balo is Milan and Italy best striker now, I'm yet to see him in a truly mesmerising performance. I first knew about Ibra when I saw him bamboozled Paolo with his tricky step-over and dribble in some tournament (Amsterdam trophy?) years ago. Since then he had scored some jaw-dropping goals like when he dribbled past half of NAC Breda team, or that bicycle kick against England. When it was obvious he wanted to kick the ball instead of taking it down, I was like "What were you thinking?", and when it ricocheted majestically into the net, I completely lost it, "What's that? WHAT THE F**K IS THAT!!!!!"
Excellent post Nalx, pretty much agree with everything you've said.
One thing I will add is that I think Balo is definitely still improving. Comparing him so far this season compared to last is that I think he's working more for the team, so while I suspect he won't score as frequently (a goal a game is hard to match), I think we might see a step up to him being a consistent contributor.
09-13-2013, 05:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-13-2013, 05:19 PM by WCmilan.)
I think a major part of Balotelli being 2nd choice at City and Merda were for varying reasons. Nalx mentioned the most important, which was having experience strikers in both squads ahead of him. On the other hand, he never conducted himself nearly as well as he does with Milan. He was always getting into arguments or with coaches or being out with red cards. Sometimes, he wouldn't even try whatsoever when he was playing.. I think his change if attitude since coming to Milan has a lot to do with his passion playing for us, being a life long supporter and all. In essence, I think we're the ONLY club that could bring the best out of him, and I think with his potential and if he continues improving like this, he could be better than Ibra.
I remember Mancini gave him some wise pieces of advice at City. He said that Mario has the potential to become the best/one of the best forwards in the world, but he's already wasted two years of that potential by fooling around. He said it's not too late, but he needs to get his sh!t together(pretty much ). I agree with that anyhow, I already think he could have been a better player had he cared about his career when he was out smoking and drinking, not showing up to training, arguing with coaches and getting sent off. At least now most if not all of those problems don't seem to be present anymore.
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