adminLONDON. — Brendan Rodgers was forced to tell wacky Italian striker Mario Balotelli to get himself to bed just hours before a Champions League soccer game in Switzerland. The hotel incident is just one of a string of episodes that have left Balotelli’s days at Liverpool numbered — with the star finally driving Kop boss Rodgers close to complete distraction.
Today we can reveal the behind-the-scenes events that have left Rodgers realising the signing of £16 million Balotelli from AC Milan was a major mistake now undermining his own position.
Misfit Balotelli has been a massive flop on the pitch for the Reds — but it is his off-field antics which have impacted most on Rodgers’ view of the off-beat star once branded “unmanageable” by Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho.
And with dressing-room harmony and internal club discipline at stake, Rodgers has held talks with close staff members about their future strategy with — or without – the 24-year-old. — Sunday People.
Online Reporter