Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has been quick to stress that this will not turn into the “Mario Balotelli show”, but it’s hard to argue that the focus — both on their own website and in the wider media — hasn’t centered around the controversial Italian since his arrival from AC Milan last week.
With the Northern Irishman hinting heavily that Super Mario could make his debut when the Reds travel to White Hart Lane on Sunday, the circus isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon. The 24-year old generates headlines no matter what he does and even if he only makes a cameo appearance for the Anfield outfit, there’s little doubt that the bulk of the media attention will center around him and his first outing in the famous red shirt.
Coming off a 3-1 loss at the hands of reigning champions Manchester City on Monday night, maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. It’s only the third match of the season, but already the narrative is shifting to the Reds having to get back on track against a Tottenham Hotspur side that have gone two for two in their opening Premier League matches. Maybe having the pressure shift to Balotelli — a player who doesn’t appear to feel it at all — is better than having it centered on the entire team, but if you ask me, the onus is on Spurs to perform.
Mauricio Pochettino, in his short spell at the helm, already has his side playing far more attractive, positive football than either manager who was at the helm last season and is starting to get the best of players like Erik Lamela that were brought in with price tags as massive as their promise; still, there’s a lot of tough work ahead of him if he’s going to fix their downright deplorable record against top sides.
Last year they shipped a combined 27-goals against teams that finished in the Champions League spots and picked up only a single point along the way. That the Reds contributed nine of those goals is a telling in itself and should they sneak a quick one tomorrow, they psychological blow could have a devastating effect. Spurs have enjoyed a sprightly start to the season, but that neither of their wins have come against sides harboring anything close to top four ambitions certainly puts a damper any premature talk of a resurgence under their new manager.
The age old adage of “you can only beat what’s in front of you” does come into play though and there’s no denying that momentum matters. Barring last seasons 5-0 massacre, trips to White Hart Lane haven’t been kind to Liverpool over the years and now that Pochettino is in charge at the North London club, they’re unlikely to get any easier.
That is, of course, unless they do. Liverpool have a number of new faces in the squad that are not only keen to impress their manager, but also justify their price tags. There isn’t a single one of them here that didn’t come to play Champions League football, and if you want to play in Europe, you have to do the business in the league. With far more quality competition in the squad, the likes of Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho will be pressed to their limits to keep new boys Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana out of the starting eleven, while at the back Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel know that Mamadou Sakho is nipping at their heels.
While it’s far to early in the season to talk about “steadying the ship” or “getting back on track” getting something at White Hart Lane tomorrow would be the perfect send off going into the international break. Last season when we were winning we just kept on winning and having that momentum coming out of two tough away games is exactly what we need.
–Steven
