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Mario Balotelli Back In Serie A! Can Super Mario Save Genoa Avoid Relegation? (Clip From Q & A Pod)
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Mario Balotelli is set to join Genoa on a free transfer. Can the ex-Inter Milan, Man City and Italy striker save Genoa from Serie A relegation?
The Italian Football Podcast patron Anthony sends in a question wondering what Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese think of Mario Balotelli's chances to save Genoa from relegation.
This is an extended clip from this weeks Q & A episode of The Italian Football Podcast available only to patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
To send in your questions as well as listen to this & all other full episodes of The Italian Football Podcast (with no ads), go to Patreon.com/TIFP OR Spotify to become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Balotelli's Potential Return to Serie A
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcaster. Last question um comes from Anthony Sormanyi and he says, Mario Balotelli is in talks for a shock return to Serie A with Genoa. Can he save Genoa from relegation? What do you make of this, Carlo? Well, first of all, I hope it happens. By the time this pod comes out, we well we'll know that. um he is in He is in talks with them. He wants to make the move and Gielardino actually rung him.
00:00:30
Speaker
as well, which suggests that the move probably is going to happen. And so, yeah, I mean, e I hope it happened. It'll be good for the pod. he'ss he's He's good fun. his He's going to cause lots of talk in the media. There's going to be lots of stories. And, you know, who I mean, he's 34 years old now, but he's still a bit of a man child, isn't he? um But will he help general on the pitch?
00:00:58
Speaker
I mean, I think it's a sign of desperation from Genoa. I think if you bring in Mario Balotelli, it's because you're absolutely desperate. And I think that Genoa are in complete desperation mode now. I mean, they have no attack. Their attack's been decimated by sales with Roode-Goodmondson and Retagie. They're two forwards, both being sold in the summer. The players that they brought in, I mean, Pinamonti,
00:01:25
Speaker
And then vi Virginia being the player that's now coming permanently. He's got just got injured as well. Malinowski got a serious injury. He's been at his's out for the season as well. The other forwards they've got available are probably relegation standard attackers. they they're They're desperate. And they' they're just again, they're just gambling. They're bringing in Balotelli and hoping that he can create some kind of spark and maybe roll back the years. and The chances of that happening are probably quite slim.
00:01:52
Speaker
And so, I don't know. It screams desperation for me, don't it? It does. It does scream desperation, but it's also... Look, Genoa are in an absolute mess.
Genoa's Financial Turmoil
00:02:08
Speaker
Their owners, 777 partners, they've gone bankrupt. um As Genoa are looking for new partners,
00:02:18
Speaker
um they've declared bankruptcy and that is just a horrible, horrible, horrible situation because a high court in London presented 777 partners with a winding up order. Now, will they fight that? What will happen? um Where do they go? How does this affect um you know, how how does this affect Genoa? And that'll make sense that's why they sold Retsugi and Goodminton, doesn't Well, the thing is, you can't that's that's kind of a truth with a modification. You can't sell players and then pocket the money as an owner. That's that's that company's money. You can't just you can pay out dividends as a profit, but you can't pocket it. That's looting. That's illegal. Well, yeah, I mean, no, it is. It's very. Yeah, you're not supposed to. but I mean, no, you can't. It's illegal. If you do it, you get like that. You can't loot a company of its assets. You can pay out dividends. That's fine. there's
00:03:22
Speaker
But if they do, then Genoa are going to probably get wound up completely. is I'm just saying, I'm just saying, as OJ used to say. No, no, you can't. eat that That's just not true. um But it's true. um I mean, in you know, there's this talk of this talk of another, you know, ACAP who took out seven, seven partners took out a loan, a 40 million loan.
00:03:52
Speaker
in May by a company called ACAP, they could potentially end up owning Genoa. It's really a really, really horrible situation for Genoa, who don't deserve to be. that Their fans were so excited going into this season, and the whole thing is just unraveling completely. And it's so sad to see. And and look, Genoa and Santorio, two classic Serie A clubs, they really should be in the Seria. It's absolutely heartbreaking to see to see this happen. um But yeah, it does scream Balotelli screams of desperation. However, it would be fantastic. It's Mario Balotelli. he you know he's he's he he He delivers headlines. I saw a really good interview with him recently as well. We spoke of like, you know, I've never done any drugs. I've never done any doping. I've never done any gambling or betting, blah, blah, blah.
00:04:48
Speaker
but I'm the bad boy of football kind of thing. And he was like, he didn't like that perception of it. It was a really good interview. I don't know if you saw it. I did see it. Yeah, I did see it, but I mean, depends bad boy football maybe, but good for a dressing room, good for a football club, good to, you know, get some of his coach, get some of his teammates, you know, all that kind of stuff, you know, that that's more important to a football club than if you maybe occasionally do some drugs and you're in your off time. Did you know what I mean?
00:05:18
Speaker
No, I don't know what you mean. Listen, a football club would rather have a player that that secretly does you know does does some drugs or has a drink in his off time. If he if he ah performs on the pitch, he's good in training, he he he's not a problem in the dressing room, he he's a professional you know with everything that he does within the within the the surroundings of the football club and on the pitch.
00:05:42
Speaker
than having a Mario Balotelli, who maybe he's never done drugs. He's saying it. Maybe he's never done drugs. Maybe. Oh my God, what an attack. No, yeah I'm just saying, like, you know, I'm saying he's done drugs. I'm saying that, you know, that that is pre of a football, a football manager would rather have that player than a Mario Balotelli who who causes trouble in every club that he is, that causes chaos, you know, all the time and creates a circus in every club he's at. So, you know, OK, bad boy or not bad, but it depends how you want to you know, how you want to word it. But, you know, if he's going to start causing trouble like that in general, then then then he's not going to help them at all. but that's No, of course not. I don't think but I don't think he will. I think what he will do is I think he will try to I think it would be cool to see him because I would like to see where he's at also in terms of physique and also in terms of, you know, where is he in his career? Because he's not that old, is he?
00:06:38
Speaker
mean then Yeah, that's not and for a football. That's not, you know, always like young. but so I mean, he could maybe, I don't know, he could maybe have another season or two if he's fit. And that's another problem. He hasn't been fit. He had a lot of it he's had a lot of injuries in the last two seasons. He missed most of last season. He had knee surgery last year.
00:07:01
Speaker
you know, how fit is he going to be? How long is it going to take him to get to get fit um as well? ah But, you know, I think that Genoa are in a state now where they they just have to just have
Gilardino's Managerial Challenges
00:07:14
Speaker
to gamble. But it's um more likely to be a losing gamble, I think, than ah than ah than a winning gamble. Well, I mean, I don't know what they're supposed to do with this ownership situation as well, because, you know, and I feel so bad for Gilardino. I mean, what what can he do?
00:07:30
Speaker
you know what this This thing has completely exploded in his face through no fault of his own. um And I think it's so unfair. on him, um and he's really being tested. I mean, it's the kind of thing that if you manage this kind of crisis as as a coach, and you you show results come you know within reason to what the situation is, it's a situation that can open up bridges and open up little other bigger things. Because people will look at that and go, well, he had to deal with an absolute shit show, and he did it really well, and he guided them through all of that.
00:08:05
Speaker
and look they came out on the other side finished mid table they survived relegation he even reinvigorated balotelli to one last hurrah like you know what i mean like that could be one of those things that speaks in his favor so he's he's being tested very very early on in his career um which is you know you can't choose you know you can't choose you know you have to face the battles and trials and tribulations ahead of you you can't choose pick and choose can you so it's but it is it is an interesting one no it's good i would love it it's great it's great i love that he's coming back it's going to be great for seria it's going to create a buzz and you know it's in the day he still has goals i mean 189 career goals not many
00:08:48
Speaker
but not many players have have reached 200 career goals in their career. So he's still going to be very, very fun to watch.
Listener Engagement and Future Content
00:09:00
Speaker
we' We'll see how well he does that. Absolutely. Right. That's all the questions we had sent in this week. Please do remember to send in your questions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
00:09:15
Speaker
email but preferably via DM on Patreon. We'll be doing a post-match reaction to Italy-Belgium Nations League game, so check out for that. but ah so Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. Ciao ciao.