fluffy_kittens wrote:The only way I could see considering Balotelli flopping in the final is if he sees red early. Let's face it, he has massively overachieved this tournament. First match Di Natale comes on for Balo and scores, it seemed like Balo had lost his place. Then he scored a world class goal against Ireland and his confidence rose and now scored 2 against Germany. No one expected this from him at this point after a decent up and down season for Man City so I don't see how he can in any way be called a flop. Andy Carroll is a flop and Balotelli has more talent in one boot then him, if Balo stays out of trouble he can really develop.
And that's what he needed, imo. It was crucial for him to get on the scoresheet after two somewhat mediocre performances. Prandelli was right to keep giving him playing time, so that he could prove himself.
He's had his fair share of haters but some of the criticism was warranted. Balo is a temperamental guy, which is why fans were right to be worried about him making or breaking Italy's tournament. Hopefully he remains levelheaded as his career progresses, and continues to develop into the talented player that everyone knows he can be.
