
Defending Mario Balotelli
Apparently the time it takes for a player to be completely written off is getting smaller. Balotelli has made just eight appearances for Liverpool since his summer time switch from AC Milan and already the lively Italian is a flop, a failure, garbage to be jettisoned as quickly as possible. We’ve been here before haven’t we? Peter Crouch, Lucas Leiva, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen, and now it’s Balotelli’s turn. All those players were written off after slow starts to their …

The Mario Balotelli Argument | A Bipolar View
Now I’m not the biggest Mario Balotelli fangirl, you only have to listen to my debut on the AnfieldIndex podcast to know my sentiments on ‘Super Mario’ (by the way I’d never call him that). I couldn’t quite understand the mass hysteria around this signing from our fans. Yeah he’s a big name in the game and you can’t grumble at the fee we were about to pay for him but, in my opinion, he was limited in his ability …

"We Are...Liverpool?": Tactical Analysis of 2014/15 So Far
May 11th, 2014. A dejected, defeated side trundled around Anfield. A side emotionally drained, physically battered, and wallowing in their failed bid for glory. Liverpool had defeated Newcastle United that day 2-1, going behind from a Martin Skrtel own-goal in the first half which was rectified by a successive goals from two Daniels; Agger and Sturridge. They had won a battle, albeit a poor one, but the war was lost to Manchester City, who had coasted past West Ham United …

West Ham vs Liverpool Preview - Sterling vs Valencia Stats Comparison
Another Saturday another late kick off on Sky as Liverpool travel to the Boleyn Ground to face West Ham United. After a couple of unconvincing performances against two defensive sides Aston Villa and Ludogorets this fixture couldn't possibly come at a worse time.
Head to Head
The last 5 games against theses side has produced 3 wins for Liverpool 1 draw and 1 win for West Ham coming back in the 2010/2011 season. This fixture last season saw a close …

Anfield Index PODCAST: Episode 44 - Gabriele Marcotti Talks Mario Balotelli
Episode 44 - Gabriele Marcotti Talks Mario Balotelli
Date: 16th September, 2014
Another week another Anfield Index Podcast!
This week Dave Hendrick hosts and talks to Gags Tandon and Ryan McTrippy about the shambles that was Liverpool FC against Aston Villa at Anfield. Gags also has some depressing pressing stats!
The team then welcome Gabriele Marcotti, of the Times/ESPN, to talk about Mario Balotelli, Brendan Rodgers, the rest of the Premier League, Van Gaal... all this and a lot more... it's the …

To Marquee, or Not To Marquee? That Was The Question for Liverpool
As the dust settles following the closure of the transfer market there is still a lingering question for many: Why didn’t we buy a so called marquee signing? Of course in a way you could argue we did as in terms of talent and worldwide column inches Balotelli certainly ticks the boxes. However when people bemoan the absence of a so called marquee signing what they really mean is a marquee signing who isn’t in any way considered to have …

The Talismanic Enigma: Mario Balotelli
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The Flow is Back! Pass and Move, It's The Liverpool Groove
It's taken a couple of games to get back into the momentum of the season. We saw some aspects of what we built up last season in the first couple of games, but only against Spurs did we see the real Liverpool.
Everyone seemed to have a good feeling about Sunday, which wasn't surprising considering we now lead 12-0 on aggregate in the last three meetings.
Brendan Rodgers definitely seems to have their number. The past three meetings have showcased …

Liverpool FC - New Signings Watch: First Impressions
Everyone will take great comfort in knowing that we've built upon our team this transfer window, strengthening, and deepening the squad - and all at a cheaper price than what Manchester United have spent.
Even with all the hype, it takes most new signings a while to show their true potential. However, first impressions always count. We've seen the majority of members from our Summer spending spree; so what have we thought so far, and what can we expect?
Personally, …