LFC : Liverpool vs Stoke City - Match Preview

"Season Defining Fixture"

August the 17th, 2013. A Simon Mignolet last-minute penalty save resulted into Liverpool running away with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke, and thus kicking off the new league campaign in style. Would I have foreseen such a remarkable campaign to follow suit? Of course not, and here I sit, a year and a bit later with the same fixture about to be played, thinking the exact same thing, however this time, withholding a completely dissimilar view.

Important Information and Statistics

Date: 29th November 2014                                           Stoke League Position: 11th

Time: 3:00 pm                                                               Liverpool League Position: 12th

Venue: Anfield                                                             Stoke Current Form: LWLDWL

Referee: Craig Pawson                                                 Liverpool Current Form: WWDLLL

Is it on TV?: No

"Season Defining Fixture"... Is It?

Heading into the week leading up to the reds' European endeavours and following their crushing defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace, I would argue the case that, yes, this is indeed a season-defining two matches. Two losses and Liverpool's season would be over. As simple as ABC. After Liverpool's lacklustre 2-2 draw at Ludogorets on Wednesday, Rodgers' men now rely on yet another magical Anfield night against Basle in a fortnight if they are to qualify for the second phase, where nothing bar a win would do for the reds.

With this being said, I do feel that this IS a season-defining fixture, one that will undoubtedly make or break Liverpool's season, and Brendan's career as the reds' boss. Whilst currently sat 12th in the league table, five points behind fourth place, and a further eighteen behind top spot, yet another loss will, in my opinion, be too much of a gap to reduce, particularly with the loss of Sturridge until January.

Team News - Fitness Updates on Balotelli, Sakho, and Enrique

Whilst taking a breather from first-team action for the last two matches, Balotelli looks a good bet to lead the line for the red men on Saturday, as he looks to kick start his strike partnership alongside the improving Rickie Lambert. Some will argue the case and opt to start Lambert as a lone-striker, however I reckon a match of this magnitude requires the various options Mario would bring to the table.

One positive to counter a number of negatives defensive-wise is the fact that Mamadou Sakho has returned to training with the first team. Brendan will very much be buoyed by the return of the 18 million pound man, who will no doubt add a more dominant and committed look to the extremely poor and weakened back line. Who of these counterparts will he replace, however? Lovren? Skrtel? Or the in-form Kolo Toure? It is decision time for Rodgers. The injury-rattled left back Jose Enrique also returns to the forefront, as he himself looks to cement his place in front of fellow Spaniard Moreno.

Lazar Markovic - The 20 Million Pound Man Gone Missing

"A 20 million pound Serbian winger by the name of Lazar Markovic has gone missing in the Liverpool region. If found, please return to Melwood. (Or keep him, as long as we get our refund!)"

All jokes aside, the young Serb has been one of, if not the biggest, FLOP of this Premier League season. Apart from his disappearances in large parts of matches he did feature in in the early stages of the campaign, the youngster has now seemingly gone 'AWOL' and vanished from the scene entirely, accumulating a petty four appearances since his arrival in July.

One final question I will pull up for you to ponder about as I begin to dissect Saturday's opposition is this;

Why did Brendan buy Markovic for 20 million, when we already possessed a better player in Jordon Ibe?

Harsh on the Serbian, but true nonetheless.

A Quick Glance at the Opposition

From Mignolet's penalty saving heroics to that staggering 5-3 win at the Britannia, matches between these two very rarely disappoint us fans, and are always filled with acres of tension. (Moving to one side a couple of the extremely boring 0-0 stalemates in the past).

Mark Hughes' men have ridden the storm thus far this season. Whilst not playing 'out of this world' exceptional football, they are keeping up with the teams in the top half of the table, and currently find themselves one point ahead of their visitors on Saturday. Stoke will be without 'Anfield legend' Victor Moses for this fixture, who will be sidelined for the next eight weeks. Other ex-reds include Charlie Adam and Peter Crouch, who may both feature predominantly this weekend. Loanee winger Oussama Assaidi will be ineligible to participate against his parent club.

Top Scorer: M.B. Diouf, J. Walters, 3 goals each          Red Cards: 0

Goals Scored: 13                                                      Most YC's: M.B. Diouf, P. Bardsley, 4 each

Goals Conceded: 15                                                        Play-Maker: Victor Moses, 3 assists

Clean Sheets: 2                                                                Biggest Victory: 1-0

My Prediction and Probable Starting Line-Up

Portraying a pessimistic approach to predictions for a change, I am foreseeing a 1-1 draw between the two sides on Saturday, with Rickie Lambert to net for the third time in three matches.

As for the probable starting line up, things do not differ apart from the keeper, who has not missed a single Premier League match since joining the club two summers ago;

                                                    Jones

Manquillo                  Skrtel                         Sakho                    Moreno

                                                  Gerrard

                                  Henderson                  Can

                                               Coutinho

                                  Balotelli                    Lambert

Subs: Mignolet. Lovren, Enrique. Allen, Lallana. Sterling, Borini.

Simon Mignolet has not missed a Liverpool match in the Premier League since his arrival in the summer of 2013. A run of games that began with a 1-0 win at home to Stoke, should, in my opinion, end prior to this home match against the Potters. The reds' defensive frailties are a well-known factor this season, and it is essential that the boss stands up and makes these big squad decisions in order to improve the team, and thus keep his job at the world's greatest football club.

Liverpool find themselves in a miserable stage at the current moment. The players look unhappy each time a ball is kicked, and fans worldwide are growing ever-so impatient as every defeat passes them by. A large part of them have already played the 'Rodgers Out - Klopp In' card, and I am afraid that, anything bar a convincing win come Saturday afternoon will conclude with a phone call being made from Boston to Brendan Rodgers' office land line. 

Till then however, let me lighten up the mood with this video, which shows the goal that clinched the victory for the red men when they last played Stoke at Anfield in the August of 2013;

Follow me on Twitter and share your views: @kennymifsud

YNWA

LFC: Crystal Palace vs Liverpool - Match Preview

"Sweet Revenge, The Second Attempt."

Following Liverpool's first attempt at revenge falling short at the hands of Chelsea two weeks back, a second bite at the cherry is on the cards for the reds, and it could not come any better than this, an away fixture to Crystal Palace, the team that all but dampened Liverpool's title hopes last season with an astonishing, yet enraging comeback from three goals down to tie the match at 3-3. As we see Suarez mourn the defeat in the image above, we reflect upon a season of 'ifs' and 'maybes'. We may not come this close to winning the title for a number of years, and yet it took three second half blows to the chest by a somewhat 'lower table' team to end any hopes of Stevie lifting that much coveted trophy.




Crystal Palace are a much changed team this season under the guidance of Neil Warnock, and whilst the reds face their own struggles all across the pitch, Rodgers knows this could be yet another stepping mine on the road to recovery. Part one of "Sweet Revenge" came to no prevail, thus on to round two !

Important Information and Statistics

Date: 23rd November 2014                                              C. Palace League Position: 17th

Time: 1:30 pm                                                                  Liverpool League Position: 11th

Venue: Selhurst Park                                                        C. Palace Recent Form: WLLDLL

Referee: Jonathan Moss                                                   Liverpool Recent Form: DWWDLL

The Eagerly Awaited Return of Daniel Sturridge... Oh Wait!

It seems that Liverpool's lack of fortune has come in abundance this season, where one cannot possibly buy Brendan and his squad a slight sprinkling of luck. Daniel Sturridge can count himself a cut above the rest where misfortune is concerned. After injuring himself in the early stages of September, we thought that we would welcome our front man by early to mid-October. This was not the case however, and his injury was yet again set back, this time till mid-November.

As I began planning my "Welcome Back Sturridge" post on this match preview, the dreadful news broke. Sturridge will be unavailable for selection until the New Year. The 25 year old's injury issues seem to regress as the months fly by. Now here is quite an astonishing stat for you, which compares Sturridge's injury woes to ex-front man Luis Suarez's.

Daniel Sturridge has suffered from 11 separate injuries since joining the reds in 2013. Luis Suarez? Not a single one. Not even a slight niggle.

The Return of Martin Kelly

If one would have come to me a couple of years ago, and begged the question, "Where do you see Martin Kelly in the beginning of 2015?" , I would have given a pretty straight-forward response: Easily Liverpool's first choice right-back, with a 20 million + price tag on his shoulders and more than ten international caps under his belt. And all this whilst we were under the guidance of Roy Hodgson, for Christ's sake! The only factor that dented Kelly's hopes of pursuing a long and successful career at Merseyside is that one long-term injury he sustained a couple of years back.

Leading up to that unfortunate event, Kelly was being widely tipped to do great things at the club, however, now we look at a player who is strutting his stuff for Crystal Palace. An extremely unfortunate lad, and a person who will undoubtedly receive nothing less than an exceptional reception from fans of both teams come Sunday afternoon.

11th Place, Matters to Get Worse Before They Get Better?

11th place, five points ahead of our next opponents at 17th (which could be reduced to two by the end of the week). On top of this, we have the whole 'Daniel Sturridge saga' to further deprive our optimism. I am afraid that things can indeed get much worse before they improve for Rodgers' men. I will be writing an entire blog on this in the near future, thus I will keep this as brief as possible.

To keep it quite simple, this is not good enough for a team of Liverpool's calibre. Brendan needs to come up with a Plan B and fast, as he himself is under intense scrutiny at the present moment. Will he risk resting the misfiring Balotelli, and give Borini a well-deserved run out? Or will his hard-headedness prevail above all and instead opt for the 'lone striker' option, one which has fell short of expectations on numerous occasions. Liverpool are currently four points behind fourth place, and I fear the deficit could be stretched further this weekend.

Liverpool Need a Plan B

A Plan B + B, to be more specific. Liverpool are far too predictable this season. With Balotelli as the lone striker, opponents are conscious of how to set themselves up defensively, thus frustrating the attacking flow, and further aggravating the Italian himself. Whilst we possessed two different options in Suarez and Sturridge last season, the same cannot be said this time around, and this is where B + B enter the fray.

One of the few matches in which Balotelli and Borini both started together resulted into a 2-1 win over Ludogorets. (Not to mention their link-up goal for Balotelli's strike against Swansea). Mario Balotelli is not a lone striker, and Rodgers should instead go with the B-B Partnership against Palace.

A Quick Glance At the Opposition

Although under the new regime of Neil Warnock, Crystal Palace are enduring a lacklustre campaign, much like Liverpool's in comparison. Win-less since September, the Eagles need a boost if they are to escape the relegation dog-fight at the bottom. If I were a Palace fan, I would be pretty optimistic heading into this fixture, against a predictable and disheartened Liverpool side at home. In Palace's fixtures against the top teams this season, they have narrowly been defeated by the one goal on each occasion, therefore they can feel invigorated by that fact alone.

Top Scorer: Dwight Gayle, 5 goals                                      Most YC's: Mile Jedinak, 4

Goals Scored: 14                                                               Red Cards: 3

Goals Conceded: 20                                                   Play-Maker: Jason Puncheon, 3 assists       Clean Sheets: 2

My Prediction & Probable Starting Line Up

Following on from this week's latest of revelations regarding one Daniel Sturridge, I am going for a narrow 1-0 win for the reds, with Steven Gerrard netting the only goal. I would most defintiely take that result now, and so should Rodgers, as he aims to lift his team out of the slumps of mid-table.

As for the team Rodgers is most likely to put out, I am yet again going to wear my 'Team Kolo & Borini' badge on and include them in the team.

                                              Mignolet

Manquillo                   Skrtel                      Toure                     Moreno

                                              Gerrard

                                   Allen                        Henderson

                                             Coutinho

                                 Balotelli                      Borini

Subs: Jones. Enrique, Lovren. Lucas, Lallana. Sterling, Lambert.

My inclusion of Joe Allen may surprise a few of you. I believe that with Allen in the team, Gerrard feels less hesitant on showing the attacking side to his game, and we all know that when that happens, we end up on the winning side more times than not.

As we hit a pivotal time in the season for Brendan and his squad alike, we look ahead to a fixture that is of absolute essential to get the full three points. Anything bar a convincing win and a positive performance to head into the Champions League match away to Ludogorets on Wednesday is of utmost importance. If Liverpool were to draw, or worse, lose the match then that would spell the start of an extremely torrid time at the den for the current boss. He is already under fire as it is, and getting a win on Sunday afternoon, to then follow it by the start of a run of victories, will undoubtedly lift the squad's spirits, and thus lift us cheering reds' fans worldwide. 

Let us hope we see this man get on the score-sheet this weekend. He deserves it after all.

Follow me on Twitter and share your views: @kennymifsud





YNWA

                                            

LFC: Who's In & Who's Out January 2015

It feels like merely yesterday that Liverpool FC presented their final signing of the summer to the press and media. Mario Balotelli walked in that day, and ever since then, Brendan's reds' have endured an extremely lacklustre campaign, with the majority of new recruits brought in failing to transform into the individuals we thought we paid all that money for. As the latter stages of November draw ever so closer, and the current international break resulting into the exclusion of any match previews and reviews to be concerned about, the time has come to look forward to January, and any possible incomings or outgoing within Melwood. After a summer of which accumulated into the spenditure of 100 + million pounds (although the bulk of the money was returned with the sale of Luis Suarez), I myself doubt Brendan will do much business, if any. However, I will draw up on the likelihood, nonetheless.

In:

Goalkeeper.

Following Simon Mignolet's penalty saving heroics in the dying moments of the previous campaign's opening day tie against Stoke, the main part of the reds faithful were labelling the Belgian as Liverpool's number one for many years to come. Whilst already showing signs of it in his first season at the club, the 26 year old's decision making and handling at times is something of a major concern for the boss, and a factor that has seemingly exacerbated as this season's fixtures have gone by. His shot-stopping has never been questioned, however Brendan will look to bring in a new face to contend the Belgian for the coveted number one spot.

Iker Casillas (33, Goalkeeper, Real Madrid)

Now, this could prove more likely than most people would perceive it to be. After Victor Valdes' move to Melwood somehow failing, arch rivals Manchester United could be the ones who relish and pounce on the free agent, which may result into the departure of David De Gea to Real Madrid. Thus we arrive to Iker Casillas. The 33 year old has endured quite a torrid couple of years, after falling out with current and past managers at the club. A move to Liverpool and a fresh start for Iker could be exactly what the doctor ordered, and the experience the Spaniard brings to the fray will undoubtedly boost the confidence within the squad, and hopefully produce a reaction from our current first choice man between the sticks.

Central Midfielder.

Let us face the facts, Steven Gerrard is not the player he once was. The 34 year old is not the player who headed in the first of three comeback goals in Istanbul nine years ago, or the man who netted a last-minute screamer past a hapless-looking Shaka Hislop in Cardiff. Last season's 'slip' did not aid him obviously, however the captain's age plays a larger part than any past errors. With our supposed replacement in Emre Can yet to find his feet at the club, Brendan may look at this position as one to further strengthen in the New Year.

Alex Song (27, Central Midfielder, Barcelona - On Loan at West Ham)

The Cameroon international, who is currently on loan at Prem high-flyers West Ham from La Liga giants Barcelona was linked with the reds in summer, however the boss elected to keep Lucas Leiva and settle with the Brazilian in the centre of his midfield. One of Brendan's many summer mistakes, in my opinion. The 27 year old holds a trait that neither Lucas or Emre Can possess, and that is a commanding leadership within the core of the midfield. As we are witnessing at the moment, Song is on leaps and bounds with West Ham. With this being said, can Brendan negotiate a deal with Barcelona, one that would cancel the midfielder's loan spell in London, and swap it with a move to Merseyside? Highly unlikely, yet not an impossibility.

Attacking Midfielder/Striker.

....And so the list begins. Brendan Rodgers felt pretty content with his five attacking options leading up to the commencement of the season; Balotelli, Sturridge, Lambert, Borini, and Markovic. Three of them have been extremely disappointing, one is constantly injured, and the other never seems to be given the chance he so rightly warrants. To the present day now, three months into the season, and the rumour mill is spinning franticly yet again, with strikers across the four corners of the globe being linked with the red of Liverpool.

Marco Reus (25, Attacking Midfielder/Winger, B.Dortmund)

I may as well start with the best of the bunch in Marco Reus. If ever there is a player in world football to bring in to boost the confidence within the squad, it is the silky German star. Following Borussia Dortmund's astonishing start to the Bundesliga, which leaves them rooted to the foot of the table, us reds' fans may feel slightly more optimistic regarding the capture of Reus. Two clubs in Dortmund and Liverpool, who were in the peak of their game last season, have both fallen substantially this time around, which may result into Klopp selling his star man. Perhaps the admiration Klopp possesses for the Anfield club will act as a sweetener of sorts for the luring of the play maker. The 40 million pound price tag being brandished about will undoubtedly shy Brendan away from a deal, particularly after our near-disastrous summer 2014 spenditure. 

Divock Origi (19, Striker, Liverpool - On Loan at Lille)

Now, this superstar you would have definitely heard of in the past. The reason being, of course, that the 19 year old Belgian is in fact contracted to Liverpool. The only slight problem? His contract on Merseyside does not commence until the summer of 2015, and after witnessing a couple of his recent showings in Ligue 1 and on the international stage for Belgium, Rodgers must be livid with oneself after not securing the young man's services permanently.

"I just wanted to clarify after today's press reports that I will continue to give my all for Lille (...) I am very much looking forward to joining Liverpool from next season."

That quote pulled off from Origi's official Twitter account all but dampened any premature hopes and speculation regarding an early start at Anfield. Stranger things have happened however, and with goals such as this, how could you not be looking at the future optimistically?

Saido Berahino (21, Striker, West Brom)

From one young promising striker on to another, this time in the form of the on-fire West Brom striker, Berahino. The 21 year old has been in scintillating form thus far this season, netting an impressive seven goals in eleven Premier League fixtures till present. The Englishman has the world at his feet at such a young age. The only problem being, that he is in fact English. The occurring issue regarding English players and their worth has dragged on for many a year, and this case does not prove any different. The fee being talked about is 25 million, which may cause Brendan to hesitate a little in regard to making an offer. Signing a 'young unproven talent' for a large sum has not been one of Rodgers' strong points since his arrival, and risking it again will not be on the bosses mind, regardless of how talented young Saido is.

Karim Benzema (26, Striker, Real Madrid)

The scorer of the winning goal that crushed Liverpool's 'B' team's hearts a couple of weeks ago, Benzema is on fire for 'Los Blancos' this season, netting eleven times thus far, which included both home and away fixtures against Brendan's men. With this being said, the French goal-poacher has recently revealed he is pondering a move away from the club, which has sparked wild rumours that Merseyside may be the perfect destination for the 26 year old. I myself can not agree more with that statement. The reds' 'marquee' signing Mario Balotelli has failed to live up to the hype he brought a long with him, and Benzema will unquestionably fill that current void up-front. One may argue that the Frenchman may find it difficult to cope with the hustle and bustle of the English game, however this I highly doubt. The 26 year old possesses the experience and quality up-front of which will give reds' fans worldwide something to finally be cheery about, following a gloomy start to the campaign.

Out:

In contrast to the summer, where the departure list seemed to go on an eternity, the 'out' section this time around is somewhat shorter. As a matter of fact, it is extremely succinct, as it includes the names of just three players. Brendan won't be losing sleep where offloading is concerned. There may be one or two on the way out, and thus I will give my say on the possibilities nonetheless.

Glen Johnson (Sell)

However brief this list may seem, the first of my options is a player that is widely tipped to be on the way out of Anfield come January. Whilst not being a favourite amongst reds fans at the moment, Glen Johnson's performances of late have indeed been extremely poor and lacklustre. The once ever-so reliable full back has made far too many errors both defensively and attack wise. It seems the sale of Luis Suarez has further impacted the 30 year old's performances, as he and the ex-Uruguayan icon linked up very well on that right hand side at times. So, what exactly has gone wrong for the Englishman? We will never know, however, what we do know is that, with Flanagan returning promptly from a long-term injury, and our loanee Spaniard Manquillo playing relatively well whilst covering for the Englishman,  Rodgers may seek to offload Johnson sooner rather than later, as Juventus look ready to pounce for the experienced defender.

Suso (Loan)

The young play maker looked almost certain to leave Liverpool on loan last summer, however, the 21 year old instead planned on fighting for his place, which similar to Fabio Borini's case, looks quite an error in judgement made. Young Suso has yet to spark into the player we have regarded so highly since his arrival in 2010, and a loan away to a somewhat 'lesser team', which will then accumulate into more game time, would be exactly what is required for the Spaniard. Whenever a chance with Brendan's first eleven has come his way, he has embraced it with open arms and conjured up a performance that has left us intrigued to see more of the silky midfielder. This is why selling the youngster will prove to be a colossal error made by the boss, and downright stupidity.

Brad Jones (Sell)

This possible offloading may hinder on whether a new goalkeeper is brought into the club or not. The 32 year old has been a faithful servant of Liverpool for many years, and whilst never making that step up to the first team a permanent one, Jones has seemed content on playing second fiddle to the likes of Pepe Reina and Mignolet. If Brendan does opt to further strengthen his goalkeeping options, I see no reason why we should keep the Australian. There is no questioning the 32 year old's deep love and admiration for the club and the city, however, as we see a person who has been through a lot where his personal life is concerned.

As we reach the conclusion of the month of November, and the start of the festive period of Christmas, we look forward to the reds' next match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. (More importantly, we look forward to the end of this dreadful international break). As I highly doubt Brendan will commit to further strengthening his squad in January, I yet remain optimistic, especially following the continuous injury mishaps concerning Daniel Sturridge. "Bad Times Ahead" is what is playing through most reds' fans minds at the moment, that and "Rodgers Out" and "We Hate The International Break".

Let us all hope, for Liverpool Football Club's sake, January arrives and we remain fighting in the top half of the table, or there and there about. 

Follow me on Twitter and share your views: @kennymifsud

YNWA

LFC : Mario Balotelli - Give Time or Get Rid?

It is a fine summer's day on the 21st of August. With ten days remaining of the transfer window, Brendan's Liverpool are yet to replace the outgoing icon that is Luis Suarez, resulting into a number of reds fans developing the jitters. And then the news broke, fabricating mass hysteria amongst the 'Twitter-sphere' and news channels worldwide.

Now, let us keep it relatively brief and succinct; approximately 80-90 % of reds fans were left in an extremely optimistic mood following this deal (with the price tag of 15 million being the major reason). The remainder, which consisted mostly of football critics and Mario Balotelli haters would have questioned the move entirely and understood the microscopic price tag forked out was due to the simple fact that, to say it abruptly, 'nobody else wanted him'.

Two months and a half later, we sit her looking at our beloved football club placed in the bottom half of the table, with the majority of Liverpool fans already calling for the Italian to be sold once the January market re-opens in the New Year. Therefore, with all this being said, what in God's name has gone so wrong for Super Mario?

Lack of Quality Support Up-Front

Daniel Sturridge, one of the Premier League's deadliest of strikers last season, has endured an exceptionally disjointed league campaign thus far, one that has been echoed and escalated into the performances of our new signing Balotelli. Sturridge and Balotelli have played a mere one game together thus far. Guessed which match it was already? Yes, Tottenham 0-3 Liverpool, one of our most (and only), convincing of performances in these past eleven matches. One can argue that Brendan does possess a couple of back-up centre forwards within the squad in Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini. However, are they of Liverpool FC quality? Do they possess the skill and eye for goal identical to Daniel Sturridge? No, although Brendan has not made it any easier for them to, a point which I will further discuss in my next paragraph.

Is Brendan Being Naive?

Fabio Borini, a man who I once thought Rodgers regarded quite highly, has been treated relatively unfairly by the boss of late. As we have previously witnessed with performances against Madrid and Swansea, the 23 year old seems to be improving game by game. Is Brendan conscious of this factor, does he witness the same 'die hard' Fabio Borini that we do at Melwood, or is the bosses trust in Mario indestructible? It seems to me that Rodgers is trying ever so hard to defend his own transfer policy; whereas the majority of his summer signings have somewhat failed him so far, he reckons Super Mario will prove to be the shining light in the bottomless pit of darkness. When will Brendan give in to reason and hand Mario's Italian counterpart a stint in the starting eleven? Surely not when it is too late and the Northern Irishman finds himself on the brink of being terminated from the club?

Can Any Manager in World Football Change His Attitude?

"If anyone can manage Mario Balotelli, it is Brendan Rodgers"

This quote was conjured by myself following our capture of the forward, and one that has been reverberated by many a reds fan. I now glance at the given quote whilst beginning to slightly question my reasoning behind it. The 24 year old looks disinterested each and every time he touches a football pitch. Simple. Should Mario have pursued a different career, one that involves strolling around a grassy area whilst complaining every five to ten minutes? Possibly, then again Liverpool have paid 15 million pounds, and whilst Brendan Rodgers remains patient with the enigma, then so will I. The mere fact that past managers such as Mourinho, Prandelli, and Mancini have all 'given up' on Mario still worries me to the present day.

Will Sturridge's Return Boost Mario's Confidence to Push On?

There is no reason why it should not, and these facts alone remain my one and only hope regarding Balotelli and the red of Liverpool. Balotelli's debut at Spurs was arguably the forward's strongest of performances in a red shirt, and let us face it, having Sturridge rather than Lambert alongside you will undoubtedly boost one's confidence levels on the pitch. With this being said however, there remains a couple of niggling doubts in my head;

Are we going to get the same Sturridge back, or will the Englishman struggle to find the form he possessed prior to his injury? Will Daniel and Mario click with immediate effect and start to bang in the goals, or will the tension between the duo reach boiling point if they fail to kick start a solid partnership promptly?

Mario Balotelli is Not an 'Out-And-Out' Centre Forward!

On a serious note, whenever the line ups are announced prior to kick off, and Balotelli's name is shown solely and amongst no other forward players, I am left fuming and enraged at the decision taken by the manager. Not once has the option to start Balotelli as the lone striker come to any prevail. That is because, quite simply, he is not a centre-forward. The Italian is extremely deficient at timing his runs into the box and gets caught offside far too many times, a trait that should be part and parcel of a centre-forwards game.

On top of this, Balotelli seems to get isolated for large sections of matches he starts as the lone front man. The 24 year old does not possess the creativity of a Luis Suarez, someone who could make something happen out of nothing. This is where the introduction of Sturridge will unquestionably aid the Italian, much similar to the 'SAS' partnership, where one found it hard to cope without the other.

Now, Brendan is privileged enough to be able to welcome Sturridge back into his squad plans for the reds' upcoming match in less than a fortnight, thus providing the abolishment of the 'Balotelli as a lone striker' with immediate effect.

If Balo is Sold, Who Will Replace?

Thus begins the lengthy discussions regarding the troubles the January transfer window brings along with it. First problem being that it will be an extremely difficult task to find a club of which will fork out the similar amount of 15 million pounds Brendan paid for Balotelli. Secondly, it will be an even more challenging mission to replace the Italian for a world class striker, especially in a time like January, where professional players seem focused on seeing out the remainder of the current campaign. Then again, one can get fortunate in January (Luis Suarez being a prime example), whilst on the contrast, one can get no so lucky indeed. (A certain 35 million pound Geordie comes to mind). 

Here are my two options if Brendan does opt to go down this route:

Marco Reus (25, Att. Midfielder/Winger, B. Dortmund)

The only optimism I can conjure up for this deal to go through is the fact that Reus' parent club, Dortmund, are currently rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga. As hard as it is to believe, Klopp's side have endured a torrid league campaign thus far, and a cheeky bid for Reus come January could tempt the Dortmund boss into selling. Will Brendan fork out the 40 + million required to lure the German in? Although I reckon he is worth every penny, it is highly unlikely Rodgers would squander that high amount of money.

Saido Berahino (21, Striker, West Brom)

The English forward has sustained an exceptional season with the so-called league minnows West Brom, which has accumulated into the 21 year old netting seven times in nine appearances so far. The price tag being touted about is 25 million, and this is where I seem to become disheartened slightly. Berahino is a promising talent, however paying 20 million pounds on unproven talent has returned to bite us on numerous occasions in the past, and I do not reckon that this signing would prove any different. An extremely promising player though, nonetheless.

Now, as I have begged the question within the given title, I will therefore give my personal response. No, I do not believe selling Balotelli in January is the way forward for this football club. Not so soon, NOT YET. We are yet to witness the Italian endure a long stint alongside our Englishman, and selling a player four months after forking out 15 million pounds for him is nowhere near the 'Liverpool Way' of going about one's business.

However, (and I stress my point on this), IF our new signing resumes his current predicament and the goals fail to arrive, there will no doubt be a market stall with the name 'Mario Balotelli - For Sale' etched across it come summer time. My question is; Who will want to sign the troublesome Italian if his time on Merseyside fails? A disappointment at Manchester City, Inter, AC Milan, and then Liverpool. A mid-table team may take a gamble with him, nothing above that certainly.

Liverpool FC IS the last chance salon for Super Mario.... Let us hope we get to witness this side of the Italian's game whilst wearing the red of Liverpool for years' to come:

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YNWA