Welcome back, Mario. We missed you.Mario Barwuah Balotelli's return to the English Premier League is all but sewn up, as only a routine medical examination stands in the way of the Italian international joining Liverpool. It's going to happen. Milan sold the 24-year-old forward after only 18 months on his boyhood team. What's worse, they sold him for about the same price (€20 million) at which they acquired him from Manchester City in January 2013. Good business, Adriano Galliani!Anyway, upon Balotelli's return to the Premier League, the general perception in the English media will be that the Reds are "rescuing" this loose cannon from the Serie A wilderness, his time in Milan having been spent toiling away on a substandard Rossoneri and enduring racist jeers everywhere he went. The perception is only half-true.Because Milan were so poor last season, it's popular to think that Balotelli himself performed poorly and failed to justify his price tag to a Milan side currently in BURN IT ALL mode. But here's the thing: Balo really wasn't that bad last term; in fact, he set a career-best with 18 goals in all comps, including 14 league goals. In total, he bagged 30 goals in 54 appearances for the Milanese. Further, Balotelli seemed to be going about 60% for a decent amount of the campaign, at most.So, the "Balotelli was shite after his first three months in Italy" HOT take doesn't hold much weight. Seriously. Don't listen to those people. It's bad for you. Besides, anyone dealing with Italy's cultural norm of anti-black racism deserves plenty of slack.During the World Cup, Ahmad Alowaish wrote about the horrifying racism Balotelli endured during his time in Italy. Racism is, unfortunately, a massive part of the Balotelli equation. Daniele de Rossi questioned his masculinity. Opposing Serie A fans and Azzurri supporters alike hurled savage insults down on Balotelli even during training sessions. And we know that, on occasion, the abuse left him in tears, with "supporters" very rarely letting up in their abominable slander. Racism is everywhere in football, but England doesn't have nearly the same problems Italy has with it (*prayer hands emoji*).Now, on to Balo's new team. This represents a major coup for Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool side. Balo is an elite forward on his best days, but this fact is overshadowed by his proclivity for practical jokes gone wrong and training ground bust-ups. Still, Balotelli's outstanding pace stretches the defense, he can bring others into the play, and he possesses a thunderous shot from outside the 18-yard box—44 percent of his Serie A goals last season came from that distance or longer. On an already deep Liverpool team, the acquisition of Balotelli affords Rodgers even more tactical flexibility. Especially as it relates to the team's other 24-year-old striker, Daniel Sturridge.A Balotelli-Sturridge tag team up front could prove to be absolutely lethal. In theory, they complement each other rather nicely; Balotelli's aggressiveness and long-range capabilities supplement Sturridge's great pace and knack for finding space in the box. A tactical alchemy that could yield England's best forward duo. It's up to Rodgers to create a welcoming atmosphere for Balotelli and let him go to work. "Let Loose In Champions League Mario" could be "GOAT Mario".Of course, this is all theoretical. I, for one, believe Rodgers will get Balotelli to focus and comfortably surpass his 14 Serie A goals from last year. He and Sturridge really should combine for 35 league goals. But intrinsic to the thrill that is Mario Balotelli is the enigmatism, the unpredictability. Patience is running thin in some circles for this man to deliver in the most popular league on Earth, and here's his chance.Be great, Balo. Be great.
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