By Eden Kironde

OVER the weekend most of us were glued to what Alex Ferguson opined was the biggest derby in Europe; bigger than Barcelona-Madrid, the widely endorsed European derby. But rarely do such games match the hype and Liverpool-Manchester United didn’t bother to beat the gloomy odds.

A couple of moments stuck out like when two United veterans combined to assist Steven Gerrard score –Rio Ferdinand conceding the free-kick and Ryan Giggs making way for it to fly to the back of the net. Chicarito’s poaching instinct and De Gea’s shot stopping abilities were also a refreshing to the eye. Besides that there was little to stick in the memory beyond the game’s duration.

That’s why I stayed on for the Manchester City-Aston Villa. In total defiance of the history between the two clubs, especially that Villa had lost the previous 10 of 11 games and were without Ashley Young anymore, I anticipated a closely contested affair. How wrong I was!

It was the usual clinic offered to Villa at the expense of three points. But at least there was something to write home about and it was from the likeliest of players, Mario Balotelli only that it was far from his usual snappish sideshows.

His goal was magnificent. The way he acrobatically adjusted his 6,2ft frame in a space a little more than a phone-booth to execute the overhead goal, which by the way was his forth in four games, was highly nutritious to the eyes. Yet what caught my attention was his overall involvement in the game.

This was a Balotelli reformed and one I have noticed quite a bit this season. His movement and desire was way up there with the best. The work-rate, though some notches below what Caros Tevez guarantees, it was admirable.

He dropped deep into his own half, dashed on either wings, initiated moves from midfield yet he still had the legs to carry him to the last third where he was again heavily involved in a lot of the goalmouth touches.

He was the Balotelli most of us have read about but few had witnessed prior to this season; full of energy, with the attitude to match, customary exquisite touches, passes and turns.

In fact there’s day light between the Balotelli of this early season and the one that was given a cameo in the knife-edge 2010 Champions League Semi-final elimination of Barcelona by Inter Milan at Camp Nou.

Having secured a 3-1 win in Italy, Inter Milan was on a verge of a claiming a major scalp till Gerard Pique scored to leave Jose Mourinho’s men barely holding on by their fingernails.

Barcelona mounted one attack after another, knocked the ball from one end of the pitch to another and with a man less after Tiago Motta’s red card, the pressure was mounting. A couple of minutes to go Mourinho decided to rest some tired legs for the fresh pair of Balotelli.

The popular view was that the Italian was going to add a little more verve to the Inter attack that at the time of his introduction was dead. What followed was the one of the most lethargic displays by a substitute I have ever seen. He strolled on pitch showing little interest in the game. He attracted all kinds of scorn from the fans but he cared less and didn’t even add an ounce of energy to his disturbing shift.

All that seems like a decade ago seeing the transformed Balotelli of this season. Finally his attitude is in concert with his much talked about potential. He is gradually beginning to operate in the stratosphere he has always believed he alone belongs to.

I don’t want to sprint to any conclusions but with every passing game, the 21year old proves that it is a complete change in character not merely a one off.

So have we seen the last of Balotelli’s fiery and at times cheeky personality that included numerous escapades such as the training ground burst ups and the training bip incidents? May be not, but we are all enjoying what we are seeing of cause besides United diehards, who may end up at the wrong end of the renewed Balotelli on Sunday.

Given Tevez’s extended indulgence in off field drama, Balotelli’s character transformation is all the more soothing to the Eastlands faithful. And with the derby game just round the corner, it gives manager Roberto Mancini a welcome selection headache in attacking options.

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The writer, Peter Mwayi

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