The Balotelli Gamble

After Liverpool successfully secured the signing of Mario Balotelli shortly before their clash with the impressive Manchester City, we thought we'd take a look at whether this was a genius move or whether Liverpool were doomed. Please feel free to add comments with your opinions, I'd love to know what others think!

I won't bore you with Balotelli's past, who he played for when he was 11, how many goals he scored for them, what his favourite colour as as a child etc., what I want to talk about is his impact on the Liverpool team. 

Liverpool nabbed Balotelli for a fee reported to be around £16m (BBC Sports) and I think this is a pretty good price. If you go on twitter you'll see all the comparisons like the fact that Balotelli only cost Liverpool £5m more than Fulham paid for Ross Mcormack and if you look at it like that then it probably is good value. However, don't forget, Milan were trying to sell him and I can imagine it's incredibly difficult to push the price up with someone who has a history like Mario does. I think only time will tell if it was good value for money but he definitely represents a huge risk.

10 Things We Learned From Chelsea vs Leicester

After Chelsea defeated Leicester 2-0 at Stamford Bridge we took a look at what this game was able to tell us about both teams. Here's 10 things we picked up!

1. Diego Costa is exactly what Chelsea need
This is probably the most obvious one of all so we'll get it out the way first but you can't deny that Chelsea have been crying out for someone like Costa for ages. Not only did they desperately need a classy striker but Costa fits the bill perfectly. At risk of repeating Alan Shearer on MOTD (who was right by the way), Costa has more to his game than goals and his hold up play will be very useful as it allows others to run in behind and with Fabregas' quality final ball, chances should be abundant. Also, Costa is a natural goalscorer, a poacher, as shown by his first two goals. 

2. Leicester aren't as easy to beat as most thought they would be
Leicester have given a very decent account of themselves in their opening games and have surprised many. Although their fixture list seems to have given them a baptism of fire, they look like they could be a good side when they get out the other side of it. Following an excellent comeback against a strong Everton side, they produced an admirable display against Chelsea. Any team thinking they're an easy three points should think again!