Monday 20 October 2014 17:17, UK
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says recent criticism of summer signing Mario Balotelli has been unfair.
The Italian forward put a great chance over the bar during Sunday’s 3-2 win at QPR and he has yet to find the net in six Premier League games this season.
However, Rodgers is confident the 24-year-old will come good and scoffed at the idea that Balotelli might have missed another sitter at Loftus Road, if Steven Caulker had not intervened and turned the ball into his own net to hand Liverpool victory.
When it was suggested that Balotelli might have failed to convert Raheem Sterling’s cross, Rodgers said: “Wow, that's being very unfair. An open goal, from six yards?
"Well okay, that's harsh. It'll drop for the boy.
"It's just not dropping for him at the moment, but I would have said he would have finished that, if young Steven Caulker had not turned it in.
"The most important thing for me is Mario’s work. The guy's doing his best, he's working really hard.
"He has come into here, he's a great boy, and I've really enjoyed working with him.
"He wants to improve and be better, but it's not going to happen overnight.”
Liverpool sold Luis Suarez to Barcelona in the summer after his incredible 2013/14 season and Rodgers feels Balotelli is suffering by comparison.
"The criticism of him has been unfair, yes,” he said.
"That's because he's probably seen as the direct replacement for Luis and, as I said before, Luis was irreplaceable and a real world-class talent.
"That's not what's being asked of Mario. He's not going to be what Luis was, he is a totally different type of player.
"Luis played on the shoulder, we freed up the team for him for a couple of years, to exploit his qualities.
"Now we have to have a different dynamic and type of game, but Mario has got qualities, and he's really focused on making sure that he's concentrating on preparing himself to train and play.
"Eventually, the goals will come for him."
