Mario Balotelli will have to get used to Liverpool bench, says Brendan Rodgers

Posted Friday, December 26, 2014 by theguardian.com

· Italian striker's future in doubt again after new criticism
· Rodgers: ‘Intensity and pressing isn't part of his game'
· Burnley v Liverpool: match preview
· Mario Balotelli banned for Instagram post

Mario Balotelli trains for Liverpool on Christmas Eve, but is unlikely to be in the starting XI on Boxing Day.

Mario Balotelli has been warned by Brendan Rodgers that he may have to adjust to a regular substitute role at Liverpool as he is unsuited to the high-intensity, pressing game the manager demands at Anfield.

The Italian striker is available for Liverpool's visit to Burnley on Boxing Day having served a one-match ban for posting a racist and antisemitic image on social media. He has made only one appearance for Rodgers' team since 8 November because of injury and a suspension that would have been longer, according to the Football Association, but for his "sincere and honest" mitigation to an independent disciplinary commission.

Liverpool have steadily improved in recent matches under a 3-4-2-1 system with Raheem Sterling at the focal point of the attack and expect to have Daniel Sturridge back from injury in early to mid-January. Rodgers admits the consequence for Balotelli will be adapting to a role on the bench, a situation that casts further doubt on the 24-year-old's Anfield future.

"It's something he would have to get used to," said the Liverpool manager. "If the team is going to need him from the bench then it's something he would have to become adjusted to. It's the same for every single player, not just him. When called upon, whether it's to start a game or come off the bench, you ask your players to be ready."

Sampdoria are the latest Serie A club to be linked with a move for Balotelli in January, with reports in Italy claiming the Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero could be offered in exchange, although Liverpool do not anticipate cutting their losses on the £16m summer signing in the next transfer window. Their reasons for purchasing the striker from Milan, however, remain unclear after Rodgers admitted Balotelli was unsuited to Liverpool's game plan.

"We're at our best when our game is aggressive," said the manager when discussing his recent formation switch. "So for us it was about trying to find the solution to get back that intensity and tempo to our game, which is critical in terms of how we work. That's key, that real aggressive pressure at the top end of the field. The players are starting to adapt and performances will get better and better."

On Balotelli's ability to contribute, Rodgers said: "We have seen it's not really his game. Working with him for the period of time he's been here we have seen that he's probably someone who's better in and around the box.

"That level of intensity and pressing isn't part of his game. But you try to get the best out of the players you have and the qualities they have. So that's something we will focus on. The most important thing is he is now available and adds another player to the squad."

Rodgers' recent tactical change has allowed for a vast improvement in the form of the £25m summer signing Adam Lallana, and the Liverpool manager believes the England international is coming to terms with the demands of the club.

"People talk about Adam technically but one of his key attributes for me is how he presses the ball and his work-rate," he said. "He is a wonderful manipulator of the ball and brilliant technically - the space he can turn in to get himself out of trouble and open up the game for you is incredible. But one of the key features for me in bringing him here was also his ability to press. He has been outstanding. I have said right from the beginning that once he grows into being a Liverpool player and being here and gets a run of games he will show what a really good player he is, and I think you see that in his game."

Mamadou Sakho should retain his place against Burnley, with Dejan Lovren still sidelined by a groin injury. Liverpool host Swansea City and bottom-of-the-table Leicester City after the trip to Turf Moor and Rodgers has reiterated that his team can transform their campaign with an extended run of wins.

The Liverpool manager said: "I think we are in for an exciting second part of the season. It's been difficult for us all, supporters, players and management alike to see how our game had changed. But we still hung in there and showed great character. We are only nine points off a top-four position.

"In our experience, especially of last year, we can see how that can be made up quickly - you get on a run of games and all of a sudden you can find yourselves there and that's what we aim to do. It's going to be a tough challenge for us, especially after the start we have made, but traditionally we will be better and better as the season goes on and with the return of players as well, it should make for a great second part of the season for us."