Mario Balotelli Drama Overshadows Liverpool's Grave Problems

It proved once again to be another disappointing night for Liverpool in Europe. The Reds slipped to their second consecutive Champions League defeat—this time in emphatic fashion.

Only Ludogorets blowing the race for second spot in the group wide open was consolation for Brendan Rodgers, who knows his side still have qualification in their own hands even after being dismantled by Real Madrid at Anfield.

With that being said, despite the tepid performance, the team's shortcomings were once again overshadowed by the antics of one man.

Hauled off at half-time following an incredibly forgettable, lacklustre performance, Mario Balotelli grabbed the headlines on Thursday morning. After swapping shirts with Pepe at the interval on Wednesday night, the Italian has drawn widespread criticism from Liverpool fans, pundits and even Reds manager Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers has been staunch in the defence of his man previously, but this felt like a watershed moment in the short Liverpool career of Balotelli. It seems the club are now ready to come down hard on him, which they naturally need to.

However, Liverpool fans shouldn't concentrate on Balotelli and his outrageous behavior. His misdemeanors are putting a blanket over a series of insipid performances so far in 2014/15, and the Real Madrid performance was as bad as it gets.

Granted, the Reds were taken apart by a team who are clearly on a mission to retain their Champions League title. On this form, few would bet against them doing so, too. However, Brendan Rodgers was tactically outwitted by Carlo Ancelotti, and his team were just not at the races.

The first half was where all the damage was done, and it was orchestrated in a way that Liverpool became infamous for last season. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos pulled the strings from midfield, perfectly summing up Madrid's slick, stylish tempo with a passing masterclass.

Per WhoScored.com, the two men touched the ball an astonishing 207 times, with passing accuracies of 93.7 percent (Modric) and 97.8 percent (Kroos). It was clean and tidy, exactly like the Liverpool of last season, who were able to look after the ball and start attacks with the click of a finger.

Steven Gerrard racked up 100 touches last night, but he was by far Liverpool's busiest player. Joe Allen, heralded by many as the man who would come in and beef up Liverpool's midfield, was poor. He touched the ball just 54 times, barely scraping a passing accuracy above 80 percent.

Allen himself doesn't look the same player as last season. Again, per WhoScored.com, he was making nearly 35 passes a game on average last season. This year, that figure has dipped by half. Liverpool's trademark tempo has completely disappeared, and Rodgers needs to find a formula to rectify it.

The back four still carry the same problems as last season, too, even with two new additions. Dejan Lovren has struggled to transfer his form from Southampton into a Liverpool shirt this season, while Alberto Moreno too is struggling to get to grips with the Premier League.

Of course, Mario Balotelli himself plays a key role in Liverpool's problems. It would be unfair (and wrong) to compare Balotelli's stats to those of Luis Suarez in 2013/14, but even standing alone, Balotelli's performances make for grim viewing.

He touched the ball just 36 times against Queens Park Rangers. Adam Lallana came on in the 66th minute and was more active with the ball than the Italian. His workrate is clearly an issue, most notably because he just doesn't suit Liverpool's style.

There is no place in this Liverpool team for Mario Balotelli, and perhaps it is up to Raheem Sterling to fly the flag for Liverpool's attack until Daniel Sturridge returns from injury. The worry is that Liverpool may panic and force the England striker back from his injury layoff, and that in itself would create a plethora of problems.

It is difficult to work out where Liverpool go from here, but hopefully those behind the scenes know that the problems with Mario Balotelli's antics are the least of their worries. Liverpool need to revert back to basics, starting this Saturday against Hull.

Otherwise, it could be a tiresome season for Reds fans.