Advertisement
PA Wire/Press Association Images
Why always him?

Brendan Rodgers and Steve Bruce defend Liverpool 'whipping boy' Balotelli

Enigmatic striker drew another blank yesterday as the Reds dropped points at home to Hull.

LIVERPOOL MANAGER BRENDAN Rodgers said Mario Balotelli’s workrate has improved despite the striker yet again failing to find the net in a goalless Premier League draw with Hull City at Anfield.

The Italy forward has scored just once for the Reds in 11 appearances since his €20 million pre-season move from AC Milan and has yet to do so in the Premier League for his new club.

Balotelli, who has carried the weight of Liverpool’s goalscoring burden in the absence of injured England striker Daniel Sturridge recently, had a couple of opportunities in a frustrating stalemate against Hull.

The former Manchester City man has been criticised for his poor work ethic since he arrived on Merseyside, but Rodgers praised the 24-year-old’s efforts against Hull.

“I thought Mario worked very well,” Rodgers said.

“He maybe thought he wasn’t going to play. But he is working hard and he is doing his best. It is that wee bit of confidence sometimes.

“I thought he kept going, kept getting into the areas and I thought him and Rickie Lambert worked very well. Performance wise, I thought we did very well.”

Rodgers acknowledged, though, there was still plenty more to come from Balotelli, who was criticised in some quarters for swapping shirts with Real Madrid’s Pepe during half-time in Liverpool’s 3-0 Champions League defeat by the holders at Anfield on Wednesday.

“I have only worked with him a short period of time. I gauge it first and foremost on the training field,” Rodgers said.

“Mario puts himself out to train every single day. He is out there wanting to train, wanting to improve.

“Goalscorers will tell you they get their energy from the ball hitting the back of the net. He worked very hard,” the Northern Irishman added.

“He knows he needs to run and work and press here. For the team, it was big effort on the back of playing against a good team in Real Madrid. We just couldn’t find that final touch against Hull.”

Hull manager Steve Bruce felt Balotelli was the biggest threat to his side at Anfield and said the Italian had unfairly become a scapegoat for Liverpool’s modest start to the season.

“To be fair to Balotelli, I thought he was their best player,” Bruce said.

“He is not everyone’s cup of tea but he is a bit of a character, a bit of a maverick and when you sign a maverick you have to treat him differently. The kid is a talent,” the former Manchester United defender added.

“He was good spirited enough to swap shirts after (the match) but he did it out of the way of the cameras!

“He has become the whipping boy. I thought he did OK the other night against Real Madrid. For me, he was Liverpool’s most effective player.”

- © AFP, 2014

Sol Campbell thinks the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ squad would cost over £1 billion today

Your Voice
Readers Comments
8
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.