Liverpool has swapped out one controversial striker for another, filling the offensive void left by Luis Suarez with the enigmat

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Liverpool has swapped out one controversial striker for another, filling the offensive void left by Luis Suarez with the enigmatic Mario Balotelli. Clark Griswold Jersey . TSN Soccer Analyst Kristian Jack provides three things we learned from the Italian strikers move to Anfield. 1. Fenway Sports Group conducts its business away from the public eye. John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino leaned on Theo Epstein. As the Boston Red Sox moved from lovable losers to winners on the field, their dealings off the field were equally as professional. Of course, their budget helped, but a desire to keep all of their dealings in-house was not something the Fenway Sports Group wanted. It was something they demanded. Their pursuit of star shortstop Alex Rodriguez, then of the Texas Rangers, in 2003, made recently into a short film by ESPN, showed the lengths Epstein and his assistant Jed Hoyer went to try and land A-Rod. How they failed ultimately had nothing to do with their strategic pursuit. FSG have brought that method to Liverpool. This is no longer a club regularly linked with players for weeks before they sign them. Their business is done behind closed doors and the news only breaks when the transfer is a formality. The latest acquisition of Mario Balotelli highlights this attitude and also provides the exact reasons for such a strategy. Balotelli is arguably the most polarizing footballer on the planet. Any long, drawn-out pursuit of such a player can be mentally exhausting for any organization. Liverpool conducted their search the right way and the moment it became public no one could question whether the Reds should get the Italian, as it was already a done deal. 2. Liverpool continue to shop at a realistic level when pursuing players. They do not have the budget of Manchester City or the pull geographically of Chelsea or Arsenal. They cannot afford to sign genuine world class stars on some of the sports largest contracts. However, that doesnt mean Liverpool cannot attract good players. When they sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea they want shopping at the cheaper, Dutch Erevidisie, store and brought in Luis Suarez. With Suarez at Barcelona, Liverpool went on a search to find his replacement. They were linked with Edinson Cavani and Radamel Falcao but they were never realistically in their price range. Those are in the elite class of centre-forwards, a class Liverpool shouldnt waste their time looking at. Instead, Liverpool have landed on a player with incredible potential, a player who they could help graduate to such a class within the next couple of years. It represents great business for manager Brendan Rodgers and CEO Ian Ayre who get a player with experience at the top level but who has underperformed during his career so far. It sends a message to the other players in the squad that the club is serious about maintaining their current level as contenders for Champions League spots each season. Much like the Suarez signing, it is also an acquisition that can set them for years because if Rodgers gets the best out of Balotelli he could end up selling him for five times the price when he is at the peak of his career in two or three seasons. 3. Balotelli remains one of the most overrated players in the game. It will be said that three major clubs have now happily moved on from the Italian and he is only 24. While this is true, the move away from Manchester City was the real indictment on the strikers career. At Inter he left for the bright lights of England under Roberto Mancini with a substantial pay packet, while at Milan it was clear the team was not good enough to have to put up with the issues he brings. Many of the issues off the field have been reported regularly but Balotellis biggest issue of all is the type of player he is on the field. At Manchester City he was incapable of adapting to different roles. He sulked when being taken off, was a liability when asked to play in any other position than up top and wasnt mentally strong enough to wait for his chance. The sport can humble players very quickly but the position he plays requires tremendous patience and maturity as you might only get one chance to win a game. Balotellis ineffectiveness in this area is not down to immaturity. He is three years younger than Lionel Messi and, at 24, is far from the kid many refer to him as. Such negative aspects of his game meant he was no longer a fit in a very good side like City who had better players. It also meant he was no longer a fit in a very average side like Milan because his demands didnt match up with the talent around him. His demands have also not matched up with his own talent. He is built very much like a striker who can play up top on his own, but his overall attitude and tendency to drift out of games is one of the reasons he hasnt started as many Champions League games as he should have. He has an abysmal scoring record in that competition and that will need to change quickly for him to reach the next level. How he left his three previous teams was not all down to his own inefficiencies, however, each time the jury remained out on what type of player he can become. He now goes to a club that will embrace him, a club that creates many goal scoring opportunities that will give him many situations in which to succeed. Balotellis time is now: A time that will allow the jury of public opinion to sit back and see if he develops. How and when he ultimately ends up leaving Liverpool will tell us exactly what type of player he has become. Kari Lehtonen Jersey . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City. Johnny Gaudreau Team North America Jersey .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. http://www.pronhlonline.com/Dallas-Stars-Gump-Worsley-Jersey/ . The 26-year-old Regina native teamed up with Denny Morrison and Mathieu Giroux to win gold in 2010. Makowsky also was 13th in the 5,000 metres and 19th in the 1,500m in Vancouver. He also represented Canada at the 2014 Games in Sochi, helping the pursuit team finish fourth and finishing 28th in the 1,500. TORONTO -- A steady hand and cool demeanour helped Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points each as Portland shot its way to a 118-110 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Nicolas Batum added a season-high 24, and the Blazers overcame a late push by Toronto to pick up their sixth straight victory. "We didnt have a reason to be all riled up," Lillard said. "They played well getting back into the game. I think we were calm because we knew what we needed to do to win the game and we were able to get that done." Portland (8-2) held a three-point halftime lead after giving up 58 per cent shooting to the Raptors (4-7) in the first half. Outscoring Toronto 22-15 in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers took a 10-point advantage into the fourth where they continued to connect from downtown. Despite leading by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, they allowed the Raptors to get back into the game and Rudy Gay to force overtime with a buzzer-beating layup. Portland finished the game connecting on a season-high 14 three-pointers. "Its tough when theyre knocking down shots like that," Gay said. "No matter how much we rotate, move it around and switch, its tough to play when a team has it going. Im not happy they made shots, but Im happy with the effort we put forth." Portlands ability to heat up from three wasnt a surprise to the Raptors. Raptors coach Dwane Casey talked about Portlands potent offence prior to Sundays game. "(Theyre) one of the best offensive teams that weve seen," Casey said. "I think as far as scoring the basketball, averaging 103 points a game, they are a very explosive offensive team so weve got to be on point. Weve got to guard the three-point line." Gay tied a season-high with 30 points to go with 10 rebounds for the Raptors while DeMar DeRozaan scored 29 points. Matt Murray Team North America Jersey. Jonas Valanciunas added a season-high 19 points in the loss. "They got aggressive and we got passive," said Lillard. "They started to attack us on the offensive end. They got some and-ones and hit some threes and we struggled on offence. We started to stall, get a little passive, a few turnovers, missed shots and they found their way back into the game." The Blazers connected on a season-high 15 three-pointers, finishing 15-for-32 from beyond the arc. Toronto made just three three-pointers. While Portland looked shaky down the stretch, they were poised in overtime. Lillard was three-for-three from the floor in the extra period, while Batum scored on each of his three-point attempts. Mo Williams sealed the game at the free-throw line. "The overtime we played well, especially defensively," Portland head coach Terry Stotts said. "I was proud of the way we competed in overtime, made plays , and got the win." Toronto struggled to get going in the extra session, shooting just 2-for-12 from the floor as the Blazers continued to patiently move the ball and connect on 5-for-8 field goals. Lillard wasnt thrilled with the fourth quarter collapse, but was pleased that his team took care of business in overtime. "We could have folded," Lillard said. "Once we got to overtime on the bench we just said we need to get some stops, we need to execute and pull this game out. Then we went on the floor and we did it." Batum echoed Lillards statements and wanted his team to use the game as a lesson. "This wasnt the first time we have done it," Batum said. "Four or five times in a row weve had a good lead and had to close out the game and the other team came back. It paid off right now because we won in overtimeawhen you are up 15, 18 points with seven minutes to go, we have to close out the game." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '