Liverpool Boss Brendan Rodgers Slams Mario Balotelli

Posted by

Italian doesn’t suit Liverpool’s style, manager claims…

SEE MORE:
Watch Arsenal v QPR live streaming

These comments from Brendan Rodgers are unlikely to do the confidence of his forlorn Italian striker Mario Balotelli much good whatsoever…

Ahead of Liverpool’s crunch clash with Burnley at Turf Moor on Boxing Day, Rodgers has claimed that the Italian isn’t getting in the side at the moment because he doesn’t suit the style of play or the 3-4-3 formation currently being deployed, reports the Telegraph.

“We have seen that level of intensity and pressing isn’t part of his game,” Rodgers began…

“Working with him for the period of time he’s been here we have seen that he’s probably someone who’s better in and around the box. But you try to get the best out of the players you have and the qualities they have. So that’s something we will focus on.”

“The most important thing is he is now available and adds another player to his squad,” the boss concluded, but the sentiments seem damning for Balotelli nonetheless.

It’s true that Liverpool are at their best when playing an all-action, aggressive pressing style, which doesn’t suit the static 24-year-old’s game. But this begs the question: why was he signed during the summer in the first place…?

Since arriving at Anfield from AC Milan for a £16m fee over the summer, Balotelli has yet to bag a Premier League goal for last season’s title runners-up.

Partly as a result, Liverpool have suffered their worst league start in 50 years, and serious questions have been raised about the future of last season’s Manager of the Year, and the striker himself…

Balotelli is likely to start from the bench against Burnley this Friday.

More Stories Brendan Rodgers Mario Balotelli