Brendan Rodgers Urges Mario Balotelli to Work Hard Ahead of Hammers Trip

Mario Balotelli may have found the net for the first time since trading AC Milan for Liverpool when the Italian opened the scoring in the Reds 2-1 Champions League triumph win over PFC Ludogrets, but his boss Brendan Rodgers believes that the 24-year old is going to have work himself silly if he wants to join the ranks of Liverpool’s all time best.

Backing the striker to continue his good run of form this weekend when the Reds take on West Ham United could be a sound investment with a recent William Hill Q&A revealed that one punter scooped up €683,739 from a mere €1 bet — a tidy return on some pocket change. While it probably won’t be that easy to get Balotelli back and firing on all cylinders again, Rodgers believes his new-found appetite for working hard on and off the pitch will do wonders for his game.

“You saw his workrate against Ludogorets and, OK, the ball has bounced off him a couple of times and we’re trying to improve him in the transitions so that when he makes a mistake he can go after it, but I think you can see what he’s trying to put in for the team. That’s going to be very important,” said the Northern Irishman ahead of this weekends trip to the Boyeln Ground. “The crowd demand that, because the players who’ve been here in the past in that position have been non-stop, and he’s coming attuned to that. He’s aware of the demands and it’s going to take time.”

The 24-year is still getting reacquainted with the speed of the Premier League and is short on fitness following a disjointed pre-season with former club AC Milan, but the Liverpool boss is expected to stay the course and name Balotelli to the starting eleven when the Reds meet the Hammers on Saturday — a perfect chance for the 24-year old to get rewarded for his hard work and grab his first league goal.