Our writers felt so strongly about this subject that we have two opinions, use the page numbers at the bottom of this page to navigate to the other opinion. Here’s the first..
Balotelli’s off field problems and bad attitude is heavily documented, especially during his time at City where he was involved in numerous bust-ups, t-shirt and fireworks scandals, not mention throwing money at people, which obviously makes him a terrible person. But is his turbulent time at City trustworthy considering Mancini was captain of the ship, and most of the other sailors were greedy and ego driven as well? Balotelli wasn’t considered first choice; he was occasionally deployed on the wings, and was in a constant battle with probably four other strikers. So frustration levels would have risen regardless of his touted bad attitude. He was under the management of someone with his own ego and attitude problems. However, if he were to make the switch to Arsenal, he’d be walking into a steady dressing room, players excited to work with him, and manger who would do absolutely everything in his power to get the best out of him. There’d be no egos. No competition for places; he’d be the main man up front. Of course, his personality could cause problems of their own, there’s no changing who is, and there is very plausible scenario where he disrupts everything we love about Arsenal now, and that is the brotherly team spirit flowing through the entire camp. Following an FA cup triumph the whole squad is buzzing, do Arsenal really need to take a risk on this live wire? Yes, they most certainly do. He’s worth every single penny.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Balotelli will be world class. If he isn’t already that now. He’s still young and maturing, but the signs are there, and they should be screaming out for Arsenal who are desperate for that striker to take them to the top. Balotelli is that striker. How many times have Arsenal lacked the killer instinct needed to put a game to bed, how often do we bite our nails for the next 60 minutes after going 1-0 up? For a team that’s based on teamwork and chance creation, 68 goals is somewhat concerning. And goals is exactly what Balotelli does. He’s scored some quite ridiculous goals in recent seasons. I’m sure, or hope, that most people have seen his goal against Bologna – it’s extraordinary. Arsenal don’t have anyone with the power or audacity to attempt something like that. Podolski can hit a ball, but I’ve yet to see him produce the spectacular, which Balotelli seemingly produces without breaking sweat. Arsenal don’t have that striker, like Suarez for instance, who can produce something magical from nowhere. These players are the difference. Balotelli would bring that. He’s almost the perfect striker, save for his volatile nature. He has the pace and power to simply brush past defences, much in the same way Toure does for City. He’s a scorer of all types of goals, something Giroud is not. How often do Arsenal score outside the box? I know it’s not how we play, but it’d be handy to have a player that can produce from anywhere if needed. And for a tall player, Balotelli has sharp feet, and skill in abundance. Yes, he’s a self-indulged show off, but sometimes you need that spark in a team. Giroud doesn’t have the ability to turn and trick his way past a player, often slowing up our play and preferring to bring other into attack, which is fine, just not all the time. Balotelli also knows the league, there’s no adjustment period, he’d be fired up to prove himself, and he’d be under the right management.
But along with his enormous potential, which Wenger’s quoted to have said during his time at Inter (which is promising, but probably means nothing), comes his attitude. Similar to Ozil, Balotelli is a player that can drift in and out of games, looking disinterested and unhappy. Does every player need to run around like Suarez, like a mad dog? The fact is that with players like Ozil and Balotelli, everything come effortlessly to them, or it looks that way. They stroll along the pitch, giving off a bad impression. But it’s wrong to assume they don’t care or don’t have any interest in the team they’re playing for. Balotelli cried in the euro finals. A bit odd considering a lot of people think he doesn’t care about football, or that he’s all about attention, and off-field drama. Balotelli was gutted that day, because he wanted to win.
He could be a problem for the spirit of the camp. He could be a liability. He could be horrible signing. But he could be so, so incredible. With the right coach, and there’s no doubt that Arsene is the man for that, he’d become a world-beater. Wenger’s had problem-players before; Van Persie had attitude problems. Did that put Wenger off? No. Why? Because he saw past the problems, and focused on the quality. If anyone can control Balotelli, it’s Wenger. And if we’re willing to pay big money, which we are, and Milan want rid, for me it’s a no brainer. A wild spark in the right place can do wonders for a team. Read a second opinion by using the pages below.Â