Brendan Rodgers signed Mario Balotelli to help fill the void left by Luis Suarez's departure and Daniel Sturridge's injuries. However, he's only scored twice in 18 appearances in all competitions. The Italian's woes aren't much of a surprise given his history, which is why Rodgers is the one to blame for the striker's problems.Balotelli's career has been like a roller coaster. The forward told the Daily Mirror that ex-manager Jose Mourinho couldn't handle him at Inter, so the Italian international was sold to Manchester City. He finished his Nerazzurri tenure with 23 goals in 81 games and never achieved any consistency.The 2011/12 season at Man City was one of Balotelli's best runs of form to date. He had 19 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions and assisted Sergio Aguero's goal to win the Premier League.The following year, Balotelli scored just three times for City, which led to a January move to AC Milan. The ex-Inter forward scored 12 goals in 13 Serie A matches, which led to the Rossoneri's qualification to the Champions League.Balotelli followed up his great season with 17 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions in the 2013/14 campaign. However, he took 175 shots, perESPN FC, whichtranslates to a 9.71 percent conversion rate. His poor finishing may have cost Milan a top-three finish in Serie A.Balotelli also failed to score in six straight games between October 22 and November 23, 2013. Milan played Barcelona twice, Parma (who eventually finished in a Europa League spot), Lazio, Fiorentina and Genoa in that span.The enigmatic striker did not record a goal against Atletico in the Champions League knockout stage, which led to Milan's eventual elimination.Balotelli also struggled versus teams above Milan in the table.He didn't score in the derby versus Inter or when he faced Roma. He missed both Juventus games due to suspension and injury. He was hit-and-miss in the biggest matches.Despite his brilliant goalscoring record with Milan, Balotelli was sold after Pippo Inzaghi was hired as coach. Inzaghi claims that the move was done in the interests of "team spirit and hunger."Even ex-Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, who did everything in his power to help Balotelli, couldn't fix him. The forward was reportedly one of the "outcasts" in the Italy squad at the World Cup, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Yahoo Eurosport). This story demonstrates that, despite Prandelli's work, Mario's attitude did not change.Rodgers signed Balotelli for about 16 million, according to the BBC. When the ex-Milan forward was unveiled, his manager was very positive about the acquisition.I think we have done a really smart piece of business here.This transfer represents outstanding value for the club.There is no doubting Mario's ability, he is a world-class talent and someone who, for such a young age, has vast experience of playing at the very highest level.He has scored goals in the Barclays Premier League, in Italy, in the Champions League and for his country at international level.I believe we have the infrastructure, culture and environment to get the best out of him and help him achieve his true potential.We are a strong group here, committed to hard work and he will benefit from being around it. I am looking forward to working with him and helping him learn more, improve and progress as a player.Rodgers addressed the signing again in October, saying that the 24-year-oldwas essentially the best Liverpool could get, per Andy Hunter ofThe Guardian.Balotelli's track record speaks for itself. He's never going to change his attitude. If Mourinho, Mancini and Prandelli, couldn't get through to him, Rodgers won't, either.There are arguments saying that Balotelli has let down Rodgers, but that's not true. The Northern Irishman should have known from the start what he was doing. Balotelli is a streaky, immature player and will never change his ways.Rodgers was arrogant in thinking that he could outdo someone like Mourinho. This move was curious from the beginning, and it's following the same pattern as Balotelli's previous stints.Thankfully for the Reds, Sturridge is about to return from injury, per Laurie Whitwell of the Daily Mail, and Raheem Sterling has shined in a central role, scoring four goals in his last nine games.However, Balotelli has reportedly disrupted the squad with his individualistic attitude, and he isn't producing on the pitch, to make matters worse.Fans and players should blame Rodgers for this mess because if he really did his homework, he'd see that Balotelli wasn't worth all of the fuss.
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