Brendan Rodgers says Mario Balotelli isn’t like Andy Carroll

Posted by

Italian offers more than giant Englishman…

£16m summer signing Mario Balotelli will not go the same way as £35m mega-flop Andy Carroll, Brendan Rodgers assured supporters…

As is well-documented, the 24-year-old Italian has yet to bag a Premier League goal for us since signing from AC Milan, and his manager has made some strange comments about him in the press regarding his ability to suit Liverpool’s style.

Balotelli’s lack of movement and pressing up top means he’s currently sitting on our bench, with Raheem Sterling playing a ‘false-9’ role instead.

As a result, pundits have suggested that Balotelli’s attributes will never work at Liverpool, much like Andy Carroll’s didn’t. The Englishman cost a barbaric £35m back in 2011, but with Rodgers neglecting the idea of old-fashioned target man, the striker was eventually shipped out to West Ham at a serious loss.

When asked if the maverick Italian’s Liverpool career was going the same way as record signing Carroll, Rodgers said:

“I don’t see that. The team functions in a certain way and we need a certain profile of player to make it work as it has been over the past few weeks,” Rodgers told the Daily Mail.

“He’s a player who still has contribution to make for us. He’s working hard in training and wants to be the best he can be. Whether he starts a game or comes off the bench we will look for a contribution from him.”

More Stories Andy Carroll Mario Balotelli