Player Focus: Mario Balotelli - Milan's Super Lone Ranger

As Mario Balotelli stepped up to take his penalty against Napoli at the weekend, the air of confidence surrounding the Italian when the opportunity to net from the spot was lacking somewhat. The calm demeanor was missing, replaced with a nervousness never seen before. Pepe Reina turned his effort around the post for a corner and with it, the striker missed his first penalty in 27 attempts.

This came on a weekend when Aston Villa kept their first clean sheet in 27 league games and John Obi Mikel netted for Chelsea to cap off a series of football abnormalities. Despite his miss, Balotelli managed to end the encounter with a goal to his name and was Milan’s highest rated player (7.45), only to be sent off after the final whistle.

A typical Jekyll and Hyde performance from the 23-year-old, his impact will be missing, of that there is no doubt, with Balotelli now suspended for the next 3 Serie A games. Since signing for the Rossoneri, the Italian has netted 15 league goals in just 17 appearances, a return greater than any other player in the Italian top flight since the deal taking him from Manchester City back to San Siro was confirmed on the 29th of January 2013.

Meanwhile, however, Balotelli has also been given 10 yellow cards since signing for Milan, again the most in Serie A. As has been noted many a time in the past, the player is as capable of a moment of brilliance as he is stupidity. This selfish tendancy has the potential to negatively impact the team, with the striker often missing out on key games as a result of suspension due to his narrowmindedness.

Fans would be right in thinking that Balotelli is a breed of striker that would excel when operating as a lone frontman, in a formation where one is utilised - a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-1-1, for example. His physical presence, ability to outmuscle the opposition and shooting capability further reinforces this notion, with these traits all perfect for a player in his position. 

His preference for playing as the lone frontman is somewhat negatively highlighted in his lack of assists since the beginning of the 2009/10 season. In that period the Italian has provided just 7 assists to his teammates in league games, averaging 1 every 13.9 appearances, although admittedly one was one of the most important in Premier League history, setting up the winner in the 3-2 win over QPR that won City the title in 2012.

Over that period, Balotelli has netted 44 league goals, averaging 1 every 2.2 games. Evidently, the preference of the striker is to go for goal and unsurprisingly so. Balotelli has made 40 of his 97 league appearances as the lone striker for Inter, City and Milan, scoring 26 goals in those 40 games, thus averaging a goal every 1.7 games he’s either started or appeared as a substitute in that position. That is, he has scored 59.1% of his goals when deployed as a lone striker despite only making 41.2% of his appearances in that role. 

In comparison, when Balotelli has played either with a strike partner or not as the leading frontman, he’s netted every 3.2 games. Evidently, he’s a much more productive player when he’s operating on his own and able to concentrate on scoring rather than set up others, accentuated in his low assists figure since August 2009.

Playing alone may bring out the best in Balotelli, but the increase in goals can prove detrimental to his striking teammates. This is perhaps best exampled in the form of striker Stephan El Shaarawy, who saw his form dip significantly upon the arrival of his compatriot in January.

Prior to the signing of Balotelli, the 20-year-old was in barnstorming form, netting 15 goals in 22 Serie A appearances, while his average WhoScored.com rating of 7.58 was the best in the Milan squad. However, after the arrival of ‘Super Mario’, El Shaarawy went on to score just 1 further league goal in 15 subsequent appearances, seeing his average rating drop to 6.88.

The drop of 0.7 in his rating was the biggest in the entire Milan squad over that period as ‘Il Faraone’ saw his influence in the team minimalised as a result of the ego that is Balotelli. While his position didn’t necessarily change - he still largely operated on the left wing - the reliance on him certainly did, with the former City ace shouldering the striking responsibility for Milan.

A slight change in system to maximise the capability of Balotelli is perhaps the reason for this, with the striker operating as the focal point in the Milan attack. His effectiveness is further highlighted when taking into consideration his average WhoScored.com rating in both respective roles, Balotelli garnering a figure of 7.62 when deployed on his own compared to 6.95 when either partnered with a teammate or not played in his favoured position.

Evidently, operating as a lone frontman is the ideal way to bring out the best in the charismatic Italian, even if that is to come at the expense of his teammates.

Do you think Mario Balotelli performs better as the lone frontman? Let us know in the comments below