MX23RW : Wednesday, February 5 08:57:12| >> :120:20372:20372:

Brendan Rodgers: 'Mario Balotelli needs to improve in front of goal'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that Mario Balotelli needs to improve his goalscoring form.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Mario Balotelli has not been up to standard in terms of his goalscoring efforts.

The Italy international has scored just once since moving to Anfield from AC Milan for a reported £16m fee in the summer transfer window.

The 24-year-old, who spent three years at Manchester City, has been under scrutiny since returning to the Premier League and faced criticism for his performance in last night's 1-0 defeat to Basel in the Champions League.

When asked about Balotelli in this afternoon's press conference, Rodgers said: "In terms of his behaviour the boy is trying to work hard in then game that we demand.

"In terms of goals, he needs to improve. There is no question about that. He has not hit the numbers he will have wanted. We need to return to being a team.

"When confidence is low, it can become about the individual but we have to get back to being a team."

Balotelli is expected to play in this weekend's match against West Bromwich Albion.

ID:180286: cacheID:180286:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2015:
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Dejected Steven Gerrard and Mario Balotelli of Liverpool after conceding the first goal during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between FC Basel 1893 and Liverpool FC at St. Jakob Stadium on October 1, 2014
Read Next:
Rodgers: 'Balotelli must do more'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!