The impact made by Mario Balotelli in Serie A so far it hasn’t been very decisive. Signed with Genoa now last October 28th as a luxury free agent, the 34 year old Italian striker only had remnants of minutes available. Precisely 56 minutes over the course of 6 Serie A matches, complete with two yellow cards to accompany it. The reason, however, is no mystery: Super Mario he still doesn’t have the right tone to take the field as a starter.
Alberto Gilardino knew this before his divorce with GriffinPatrick Vieira still knows it since he sat on the rossoblù bench. While the fans have never hidden their elation at having brought Balotelli back to compete at the high levels of the Italian championship, mindful of the exploits that have always characterized Balotelli between Inter, Manchester City, Milan and even the Italian national team. He will not yet have managed to score a Serie A match, despite having come close to scoring against Napoli on two occasions.
However, Mario is continuing to push hard in training to regain the right form and tomorrow he could have a great opportunity. In fact, one of the matches scheduled for the 18th round of the championship (3:00 pm) is precisely this Empoli-Genoasuch a delicate test from a ranking perspective that, with a victory for Vieira’s crew, would allow them to climb to mid-table and fully catch up with the Azzurri’s direct rivals. A direct clash that could become a springboard. For Genoa and also for Balotelli, looking for his first seasonal seal.
Enzo Raiola’s latest statements
“Returning to Genoa? It was a dream and a wish come true. It had been missing for a long time, Genoa is now going through a particular period also with the change of ownership. (Mario, ed.) He knows very well that he has to recover his condition, he had been inactive for months. He helps the comrades on and off the pitch, all in all he is looking to bring home something concrete farmhouse, rather than risk it… The championship is long, Mario will have chances, in the end he will compete with my other striker Pinamonti and the important thing is that they bring points to Genoa.”