Liverpool FC was fresh off the announcement of new manager Brendan Rodgers. The former Swans manager reached for a young Italian striker as his first signing, with a cool £12m spent on Fabio Borini. Rodgers had known the lad from his youth coaching days at Chelsea and also when he had him on-loan at Swansea. For the Kop, all that was known was this was a player that netted 10 times in his first season in Serie A for Roma. “Hello Fabio, meet expectations, good luck, you’ll need it young lad.”
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Everyone looked for Borini, and he was nowhere to be seen due to a three-month absence (broken foot) and a season-ending shoulder dislocation. He ended the season with a less than adequate two goals in 20 appearances. When on the field, he wasn’t able to adjust much to the rigours of the Premier League for various reasons.
However, a full off-season healthy allowed the talented Italian to train and have a fair shot at the Liverpool starting line-up. Borini went into pre-season with a heart full of passion and energy. He went chasing for every sniff of the ball, but his will did not bare any fruit. High expectations for a 22-year old individual usually results in disappointment. Disappointment? Goodbye confidence, Fabio. He did not get many opportunities on the field, and when he did, he squandered them. Even transfer flop Iago Aspas took his position on the field to start the season. Things looked bleak for the former Roma striker until Sunderland took him on loan for the rest of the season, and well, that was that.
“Hello Fabio, meet confidence, confidence, this is Fabio. You two have fun.”
And fun they had, like a couple of grade-school lovers. Borini scored the game-winner for Sunderland’s first win of the season in brilliant fashion from a shot outside the box. Operating as a left sided midfielder, he has been a constant threat.
At Liverpool last season, Borini would usually just receive the ball, make a pass, and then disappear into some corner on the field. Presently, hegets the ball and looks up to make a difference. Whether that means running 15 yards and having a pop or a lovely cross, he has been a difference maker. His confidence has risen to the point where he is the designated penalty-kick taker for the team. It is an enormous change for a kid who was afraid to run with the ball, to taking a penalty against the defending champions (or mid-table United, you pick what you want to call them). In 16 starts (26 total appearances) for Sunderland (mostly as a winger), Borini has managed 5 goals and 2 assists.
Fabio Borini’s increased success has also been correlated with Sunderland’s resurgence. While not fully out of safety, a win with their game-in-hand will move Sunderland in a tie for 13th place. That is an absolute far cry for a team who was in the bottom of the league, with 1 point after 8 weeks of the season. With the continued form, Sunderland should move into safety soon enough. As for Borini’s form, the continuity of his play should also bump that listless Jozy Altidore out of the striker’s position and put the Italian there. I don’t mean to be rude, but other than bringing the ball down, the only other skill the American possesses is missing the net consistently. It’s quite embarrassing that Mr. Altidore, #9 forward extraordinaire, has just 2 goals while his fellow winger has five.
Regardless, Borini is placing himself in a good position to be able to snag a spot as a depth player who can be relied on to provide offence at Anfield next season. The hopeful addition of Champions League football will require depth in the squad to ensure an adequate amount of rest for the top guns on the team. With the League Cup, the FA cup, Champions League, and the Premier League, players such as Borini will be monumental in the direction this team moves in.
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