Mario Balotelli - Why No Goals?

Why haven't things started well for Mario on Merseyside?

Mario Balotelli has not hit the ground running at Anfield and we look into why that might be.

Originally I'd intended this piece would assess the impact of Mario Balotelli at Anfield and whether he was cutting the mustard.

Following on from Wednesday night's personal nightmare for the Italian against Real Madrid it seems futile to ask that question.

His move is fast becoming a disaster for both club and player and already his career at Anfield - if that is a fair description - looks be lingering on the point of no return.

What has gone wrong for Mario on Merseyside and can he and Liverpool resolve their apparent differences?

Lean Times

Balotelli's time at Liverpool started slowly and has gone downhill fairly rapidly from there.

The 24-year-old is showing no signs of enjoying his football since completing the move from AC Milan in August.

Goals have been hard to come by with just one in eight appearances thus far. It is the all round contribution that will be worrying Rodgers and the Reds support.

Strikers often take time to settle and a club will work hard to help a new player settle if the attitude appears to be good.

Take Roy Keane's recent comments on how the Man United team rallied around Diego Forlan during his underperforming spell at Old Trafford. His teammates could see the desire to succeed in Forlan and so weighed in behind him.

At Loftus Road on Sunday the tell tale signs began to show that the Liverpool players do not feel Balotelli is buying into their ethos.

More than any lack of goals, that is a huge warning signal for the striker.

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Getting Shirty

What is it with Balotelli and shirts? The infamous 'Why Always Me' t-shirt at Man City and now Pepe-gate during last night's Madrid defeat.

It is impossible not to imagine Balotelli knew the decision to swap shirts with the Portuguese at half time would prove to be controversial.

His manager certainly didn't approve and says he will deal with the striker in-house. Whether or not the shirt-swapping incident led to his half-time substitution is anyone's guess with Rodgers predictably citing it as a tactical change.

He was less guarded in his summary of what exactly the change provided that was missing in Balotelli's first half endeavours.

"Adam Lallana came on and was tireless in his work rate. That is the minimum here at Liverpool - you need to press, you need to work. Young Adam came on and did that very well," Rodgers said.

Expensive Passenger

Right now, Balotelli is a luxury Liverpool simply cannot afford - on and off the pitch.

He is producing little or nothing of note in playing terms and his mere presence is threatening to destroy the team spirit Rodgers has skilfully crafted.

Liverpool's strength and success last year came from a total commitment to hard work and players sacrificing themselves for the group.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge provided moments of sheer individual brilliance for sure, but always a willingness to put the team first. It was a lethal combination that came perilously close to ending Liverpool's title famine.

Suarez is a player with bags of talent and game changing ability, prone to random acts of madness but willing to work tirelessly for his team.

Balotelli has talent and skill, is also prone to bizarre moments and appears to be a complete one-man show.

Where the Uruguayan was a maverick talent that Liverpool now appear to be unable to cope without, Rodgers long-term vision at Anfield will not accommodate the mercenary tendencies of Balotelli.

On current evidence, a January fire-sale looks the most likely outcome.