Southampton vs. Liverpool: Key Brendan Rodgers Takeaways from Pre-Match Presser

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers "didn't like the etiquette" shown by Mario Balotelli during Thursday's 1-0 Europa League win over Besiktas, but has played down the drama which followed the Italian striker's decision to snatch the winning penalty away from vice-captain Jordan Henderson.

Rodgers spoke during his pre-match presser ahead of Liverpool's trip to face Southampton on Sunday. As reported by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, he believes headlines surrounding the incident are overplayed:

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The incident was reported by Dominic King of the Daily Mail among others. Squawka provided the reaction of Steven Gerrard—Liverpool's No.1 penalty taker—who sat the match out through injury:

Interestingly, WhoScored suggested Balotelli and Gerrard share similar records from the spot:

Rodgers confirmed Gerrard is set to miss the upcoming match, tweeted by Pearce:

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Liverpool head into a difficult St. Mary's trip in excellent form. It's been over two months since the Reds' last Premier League defeat against Manchester United on Dec. 14. This was the last time Rodgers' side dropped the ball inside 90 minutes in any competition—they did lose after extra time in the Capital One Cup against Chelsea—underlining real progress since the shaky start to the campaign.

Fourth-placed Saints continue to surprise and will want revenge for their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool earlier in the season. Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge scored the goals either side of Nathaniel Clyne's strike that day. 

With this in mind, Rodgers is confident of taking another three points off Ronald Koeman's impressive side, per Pearce:

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This is the type of match which will determine whether or not Liverpool qualify for the Champions League. A second consecutive season in the elite European competition would be extremely beneficial, particularly with Rodgers continuing to build his squad.

The Reds are four points behind Southampton ahead of kick-off. Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham will have played by the time these teams take to the field, so pressure could be ramped up if each grab a victory.

Liverpool continue to improve and are playing some impressive football, particularly in the Premier League, but cannot afford a single slip as the season heads toward an exciting conclusion.