Monday, 20th October, 2014
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Mario Balotelli was never meant to be a replacement for Luis Suarez.
Balotelli joined the Reds from AC Milan this summer, but has so far failed to find his footing at his new club,, while Suarez signed for Barcelona.
He has scored only one goal for Liverpool this season and after another below-par performance against Queens Park Rangers yesterday, the criticism against him has ramped up a level.
But the Liverpool manager feels some of the criticism against Balotelli has been uncalled for. The Northern Irishman added that it is unfair to expect Balotelli to recreate Suarez’s performances at Liverpool.
"The criticism of him has been unfair, yes”, Rodgers told ITV.
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"And 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.
"And that's not what's being asked of Mario. He's not going to be what Luis was.”
Rodgers claims that he is enjoying working with the Italian and feels that he should be given the time and the opportunity to get better.
"Mario's come into here, everyone knows him and they've seen him over his career, 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."
It remains to be seen whether the mercurial striker makes the staring eleven when Liverpool host the European champions Real Madrid on Wednesday.
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