Manager Brendan Rodgers has ended whatever honeymoon period new striker Mario Balotelli was enjoying at Anfield, telling him he needs to start scoring goals after finding the net just once in seven appearances for Liverpool.
The Italian has the chance to do that when revitalised West Bromwich Albion visit Anfield today after an ineffective display in Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat at Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday.
He badly needs the goals and Liverpool, who narrowly missed out on the title last season, badly need a victory after one win and two draws in their last three league games has seen them slide to 14th in the table.
Rodgers made no secret about where the key improvement was needed: the form of the 24-year-old, whose only goal since he moved from Milan for £16 million at the start of the season was against Ludogorets in the Champions League two weeks ago.
“In terms of goals he needs to improve, it is as simple as that,” said Rodgers. “Not just him but any striker is judged on goals and at this moment he hasn’t hit the numbers he will have wanted.
“And over the whole team, that is the same. We need to return to the team that brought us success over the last 18 months.”
Balotelli did not touch the ball in the opposition penalty area against Basel but Rodgers said that was not only down to the player.
“That is down to the team. You have to get yourself into those areas but it was about the service arriving in and our quality wasn’t to the standard. But you also have to be able to score and create goals yourself as a front player and he didn’t do that.”
Balotelli was brought in to fill the void left by the departing Luis Suarez, who scored 31 league goals last season.
When Balotelli joined Liverpool in August, Rodgers conceded buying the former Manchester City player was “a calculated risk”.
“I always said it was about availability and affordability of players. Mario was the one right at the very end who was available for that,” Rodgers said.
“I said when he came in that it was a calculated risk and it’s something I have to work on to try to make it work for the team.”