Mario Balotelli to Be Fined for Pepe Shirt Swap, Slammed for Real Madrid Display

Mario Balotelli is set to be fined for swapping shirts with Real Madrid defender Pepe during half-time of Liverpool's 3-0 Champions League defeat to the European champions.

Brendan Rodgers was forced to deal with a similar issue last season—when Mamadou Sakho and Philippe Coutinho traded shirts with Chelsea players at the break, reported by David Maddock of the Mirror—both of whom were issued financial punishments.

Balotelli's moment came as he entered the Anfield tunnel, in front of fans and television cameras. It was perhaps his most significant action of his 45-minute appearance, as the Italian striker once again offered very little quality in an important match for the Reds.

Matchbook Exchange posted a video of the moment:

Rodgers noted his annoyance with the shirt-swapping incident at the end of the match, confirming Balotelli will receive a fine like those before him.

"Yes, and it's exactly the same. We had an incident last year and it was something that was dealt with internally," said the Liverpool boss, per Maddock. "It's not something that I stand for, if you want to do that do it at the end of the game, and I will deal with it."

It's no coincidence Balotelli was sacrificed at half-time, a decision Rodgers took with Liverpool 3-0 down and needing "more movement centrally to occupy the centre-halves," per Maddock. Balotelli certainly failed to do this, as noted by Squawka:

Unfortunately for Liverpool, even during the opening 20 minutes in which they dominated, Balotelli appeared out of sync with his team-mates. He had an excellent opportunity to slide the ball into Raheem Sterling, who was one-on-one with Pepe, but instead he tried to dribble around the nearest defender.

Jon Super/Associated Press

He again looked to shoot from unlikely angles, with two of his 23 touches being lashed toward goal, per WhoScored. Balotelli showed a couple of instances of pace and power to get around his man, but his final decision continues to limit his and Liverpool's potential.

Both the performance and shirt incident have led to Balo receiving quite a slamming in the press. Liverpool legend Graeme Souness was among those to criticise on Sky Sports' broadcast, saying, "Don't get me started on him again," via Maddock. "Call me a dinosaur, but I expect so much more. In my day we would have nailed him for some of the ways he reacts on the pitch."

Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher also blasted Balotelli on the aforementioned channel. He suggests the player will never change, reported by Dominic King of the Daily Mail: "I can't change the way I feel about Balotelli and that is nothing to do with what he's done in a Liverpool shirt. It's what he's done at Manchester City and AC Milan."

Tony Barrett of The Times believes Liverpool's problems run deeper than the 24-year-old:

John Cross of the Mirror backs Balotelli to turn his form around:

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti praised the striker's performance, saying, "He was one of their players who tried to create us the most problems, he did what he could," reported by Sky Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio. "In my opinion his match shouldn’t be criticised."

One goal in nine appearances is disappointing enough, but it's Balotelli's inability to help himself which is perhaps most frustrating. He should have known swapping shirts at the interval, after being dominated in the first half, would irritate many onlookers. The striker doesn't seem to consider the wider picture, but there's no question Liverpool's issues are more complex than the £16 million signing.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo's excellent opener came when the side stopped pressing. Both of Karim Benzema's goals were aided by poor defending, the second in particular, which arrived after several defensive errors from a corner.

These issues need to be dealt with ahead of the upcoming Premier League matches with Hull City and Swansea City, both fixtures Liverpool should expect to win in front of their home fans.

There's a sense that, if Balotelli ups his game, the entire team could be reinvigorated. Both Sterling and Coutinho's output is limited when the Italian plants his feet and fails to create space.

Balotelli needs a goal, but more importantly needs a performance that characterises Rodgers' Liverpool side: hard-working, energetic and lethal. Until then, minor issues—such as swapping shirts—will continue to receive unwanted attention.