Mario Balotelli stuffed at Liverpool unless he proves by Christmas that he is no turkeyRodgers will not hesitate to use the January window to sign a replacement for £16m striker who has piled premature shirt-swap gaffe on top of his poor playAndrew PowellYule be sorry: Balotelli has until Christmas to click at Anfield or the chequebook comes out
Mario Balotelli is fighting for his Liverpool career.
The Anfield giants' manager Brendan Rodgers stressed on Thursday that there is no room for sentiment in football. And that means he won't hesitate to bring in a replacement forward during the January transfer window if necessary.
Rodgers and Balotelli met before Thursday training and the player was fined for swapping shirts with Real Madrid defender Pepe at half-time of the 3-0 Champions League defeat by the Spanish side the night before.
More importantly than the shirt-swapping issue, the Italian's performances since his £16million move from AC Milan two months ago are proving a huge concern to Rodgers - and the January transfer window opens in 68 days.
He said: “At this moment in time, I’ll be working with the players that we have and he is one of them. Not just improving him, but improving all the players. And we will see come January what the team needs."
Balotelli has had the second-most shots per game of any striker in any of the top five leagues in Europe, but is yet to score in the Premier League. His only Liverpool goal so far came in the Champions League win over Ludogorets.
Rodgers said: “We brought in the player to give him a chance, and [we] give him every chance. At this moment in time, of course, he hasn’t scored the goals we would like or want. We have to give him that opportunity, and we will give him every opportunity.
“The boy is trying very hard to be the best he can be out there on the pitch. He's working hard to increase his opportunities of playing in the team. Whether that will be good enough remains to be seen.”
It is the striker's contribution to the high-intensity approach that defines Rodgers' team that will be the key to his future, with Balotelli told in no uncertain terms he will be on his way unless he can produce what the system demands.
The pair had a heart to heart on Thursday, and Rodgers has spelt out what he requires from a forward who leads the Liverpool line - pace, strength in running in behind defences, and more importantly, a willingness to press incessantly.
Mario Balotelli training on Wednesday:
Liverpool Football Club striker Mario Balotelli, arrives in his red Ferrari at the Melwood training complex, in Liverpool, the morning after his shocking performance in the Champions League clash against Real Madrid at Anfield.
So far, the Italy international has failed to provide that, and while his manager has sympathy for the difficulties the player has faced given the struggles of the team, he is prepared to make a tough call on Balotelli's future if he believes it simply isn't working.
That means he will dump Balotelli, no matter what the price tag and the player's reputation, if he deems it necessary for the health of the team.
Most immediately, that could see Rodgers swing the axe for the game against Hull at the weekend, with Rickie Lambert given another chance to prove he is capable of leading the line in the absence of Daniel Sturridge.
It would leave Balotelli with the tough prospect of proving by Christmas he can adapt his game to provide what Liverpool need, or force the club into the transfer market in search of a forward who can deputise during the almost inevitable absences through injury Sturridge tends to endure.
