Mario Balotelli Must Adapt If He Is to Be a Success with Liverpool

When Mario Balotelli arrived back in the Premier League earlier this season, Liverpool (and most Premier League fans, in fact) were beside themselves with excitement.

Balotelli is, as we all know, an incredibly volatile character who makes football a damn sight more entertaining than it usually is. His antics away from the field have earned him almost a cult following among Premier League fans, with his football sometimes coming as an afterthought.

However, just four games into his Liverpool career, his performances have unfortunately left a lot to be desired. Even though Balotelli has endeared himself to Liverpool fans with some of the things he tweets, his football is yet to get going in a red shirt.

Sure, his performance against Ludogorets in the Champions League was decent, but alas, that was against Ludogorets. Liverpool's timid start to the season is almost perfectly reflected in Balotelli's performances, a man who is yet to deliver as we all know he can.

Of course, strikers are often helped out by the quality of football being played by those behind him, which admittedly is not up to the dazzling standard Liverpool provided last year. But the stats don't lie; Balotelli is well below par so far this year in the Premier League.

The task of replacing Luis Suarez was always going to be a tricky one for whoever got the job, but Balotelli isn't really getting anywhere near the level of skill Suarez produced last year for Liverpool. Just eight shots in his first three games is far from productive; when you consider that only three of those have been on target, that makes for grim reading.

Last year, Suarez was averaging well over two shots on target a game, often producing goals. Balotelli's reputation as someone who doesn't fit a team ethic is also coming to the fore early on his Liverpool career. Only three chances created in three games is not what Liverpool need, nor is it how Brendan Rodgers sets his teams up to play.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

As a striker who has a fairly decent record in terms of goals scored (most recently netting 26 in 43 during his time at Milan), Balotelli's performances aren't good enough. Adjusting to the rigours and demands of English football once again (especially after a spell in Serie A) gives him some leeway, but Balotelli knows how English football works.

He must adapt to fit Liverpool's system, in which every player is expected to play a significant role in the buildup of attacking play. Dropping deeper is something that will be expected of Balotelli more and more this season, especially with a fluid style like Liverpool's.

Liverpool fans should (if they haven't already) realise that they are not getting a replacement for Suarez in Balotelli. He is very much his own man, and he is far from a Suarez-type player. But he has to evolve as a footballer if he will be a success at Liverpool; the Balotelli who strut his stuff with Manchester City a few years ago simply isn't the type of footballer Liverpool need.

Stats via Squawka unless otherwise noted.