Mario Balotelli is fighting for his Liverpool future, with a January exit possible unless he dramatically improves his form, as his problems increased on and off the pitch.
Brendan Rodgers said when he signed the Italian in the summer that he would offload the striker if his move did not yield positive results, and there is an admission at Anfield that the gamble is not yet paying off.
With one goal in his 10 appearances so far, Rodgers will assess over the next two months if the calculated risk is ever likely to yield a return.
Rodgers remains eager for Balotelli to prove his worth, but he has not yet adapted to the pattern of play which demands Liverpool press high up the pitch, and there are questions marks as to whether he can learn quickly enough to lead the line long-term.
The off-the-field controversy which has dogged him throughout his career resurfaced on Thursday when it was claimed he had threatened a woman after she allegedly took photographs of his Ferrari car while he was visiting his mother in Manchester. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “We are investigating a report of threatening behaviour following an incident in Pewsey Road, Wythenshawe. Officers will be speaking to all concerned in due course.”
The Liverpool striker is understood to have been visiting his mother’s home in Manchester when the alleged incident took place.
Rodgers said he “didn’t want to go down the route” of directly discussing whether a January sale was possible, but it is clear there are already serious reservations.
“We brought in the player to give him a chance, and give him every chance,” Rodgers said. “At this moment in time of course he hasn’t scored the goals we would like or want. We are having to give him that opportunity. At this moment in time, it’ll be working with the players that we have and he is one of them. It’s not just about improving him but improving all the players. And we will see come January what the team needs.”
The Liverpool manager is accepting full responsibility for signing the £16 million striker, and is prepared to take the necessary steps if a mistake has been made.
“I will always take the responsibility for every player who comes through here,” Rodgers said. “The manager always will. So you don’t need to look too far, you can label it on me so there is no problem there. I think it’s one which is very clear with the owners, in the conversations we had, we knew what we were getting.
“I think I said before this was a calculated risk to bring someone in, and nothing has changed. I’m not and haven’t been overly surprised by many things. We took in a young player that has football potential. Were we going to get that focus and concentration that is required to play consistently at the top level? That is something that will remain to be seen. Time will tell. I think at this moment in time he’s working hard to show he can deliver that.
“Whether the criticism is deserved or not, it’s a part of the game, and you have to accept it. No one likes it, however it comes, but as an individual, as a team and as a coach, you have to accept that.
“It’s one where the boy is genuinely trying very, very hard. Longer term, we’ll see how that works out for him. Certainly, he is working hard on the training field to improve his opportunities to play in the team and to score goals. He’s an individual talent who is working hard to try to fit into the team ethos, and the team identity.
“As long as he’s doing his best, that’s all I can ask for as a coach and as a manager. Whether that best is going to be good enough in the longer term remains to be seen. But that’s the same for every player, not just for Mario.”
Balotelli was substituted 45 minutes into Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat by Real Madrid and there are clearly far more problems at Anfield than the Italian. Rodgers said there was no question of the striker being used as a scapegoat to disguise defensive problems.
“Was he playing centre-half?” he said. “We need to be better as a team, not just the defence. We all pride ourselves on clean sheets. The disappointment is the goals we’ve conceded this season, a large number of which have been soft.
“I felt we could have been more competitive in certain situations because that is the mark of a champion. The mark of a champion is how you are competitive against the best opponents. Against Real Madrid it wasn’t through want of trying or work ethic. But it was an area we could have been better in.”
Balotelli will be disciplined for his shirt exchange with Pepe at half-time.
Rodgers said: “Any action will be taken between ourselves. That is it, matter closed.”
The immediate decision for Rodgers is whether to keep Balotelli in the side for the visit of Hull City on Saturday.
Rickie Lambert started the last league home game - a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion - and Rodgers also has the option of using Raheem Sterling as a central striker.
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