Mario Balotelli blamed his failure at Liverpool on Brendan Rodgers – claiming the tactical choices made by the ex-Reds boss didn’t suit him. The former Manchester City star secured a shock £16million move to Anfield from AC Milan in 2014 and was seen as the replacement for Luis Suarez who departed that same summer for Barcelona.
Despite his previous heroics in England and Italy, Rodgers’ acquisition of the striker was a clear risk and one that backfired massively on the now-Celtic boss.
The Euro 2012 finalist with Italy managed a measely four goals in 28 games for the Reds with only one of those coming in the Premier League.
Balotelli only spent a season on Merseyside before he was deemed surplus to requirements by Rodgers, who agreed to his return to Milan on loan before Jurgen Klopp opted to leave him out of Liverpool’s pre-season tour in the summer of 2016.
During his temporary reunion with the Rossoneri back in 2015, Balotelli took aim at his former boss and blamed him for his unsuccessful stint with the Reds.
He said: “I must accept my faults, but the formation chosen by [manager Brendan] Rodgers was not suited to my characteristics. At the beginning I missed several easy chances, then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck, injuries.
Liverpool’s Italian striker Mario Balotelli reacts after a missed opportunity at goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Everton at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool on September 27, 2014.
“But I never complained, I accepted the decisions of the manager and I always behaved like a professional.” In an interview with Gazzetta, Balotelli insisted that he was thoroughly professional during his time at Liverpool: “The professional Mario didn’t just land here in Milanello, even at Liverpool my behaviour and lifestyle were normal.
“Over the last year there was never a problem with my private life. I may have put pictures from restaurants on Instagram, but that does not mean I did not train even though I was not playing.
“I have trained a lot, two sessions at times by myself over the last month with [Fabio] Borini and Jose Enrique: it was tough, but if I didn’t do it I would have been dead tired after training yesterday.”
Balotelli, a free agent after a spell with Adana Demirspor, last year reminisced about working with Rodgers, who he brutally branded “the worst coach I have ever had”.
He told TVPlay: “He was number one as far as training sessions were concerned, what with keeping possession of the ball and the small-sided games,” he added. “But as a person he was a disaster.”
Rodgers has spoken publicly on the failed experiment regarding Balotelli, admitting the pair just couldn’t form a connection. “I just couldn’t really connect with Mario,” he previously told talkSPORT.
“He was one that came in very late in the window. It was a gamble taken from a club perspective. It was one where, he’s a big talent, he’ll come in and develop, he’s got all the tools.
“In all fairness, I just found it very difficult to connect with Mario. On the field, he tried his best. But it certainly wasn’t something that worked out as everyone would like. If he could ever match that intensity with his talent, then he’d be one of the best players in the world.”
