It’s safe to say that Mario Balotelli has struggled for form since trading Italy for a second stint in England, but his agent Mino Raiola has ruled out a return to Serie A in Janaury, instead insisting that the striker be given time to reacclimatize to life in the Premier League.
Although Liverpool continue to struggle defensively, their form in front of the net has been almost as worrying; the Anfield outfit scored over a hundred goals last term, but at the time of writing, currently sport a negative goal difference going into the busiest period of the year. Balotelli has found the net twice in fourteen appearances for the Reds, though he’s yet to score in the league — which, according to his representation, is partly due to family issues.
“It’s wrong to criticise him. He needs to be given time to adapt at Liverpool” Raiola explained to Italian media outlet Il Corriere when asked about the 24-year old. “His difficult time is not connected to football, but to the fact he can’t see his daughter as much as he would like. Balotelli will never go back to an Italian team. I’ve already made that mistake once, because I listened to him.”
Balotelli is expected to be a late decision for Liverpool’s clash with Stoke City on Saturday after the the 24-year old sat out the Reds last two matches after failing to recover from a groin injury picked up while training with the Italian national team. When he is fit again though, he could find his place in the starting eleven in jeopardy with Rickie Lambert finding the net in each of his last two starts.
