Sunday 23 November 2014 12:31, UK
Brendan Rodgers' persistence with Mario Balotelli as a lone striker has failed to pay off and the Liverpool manager has finally admitted it may be time for a change.
In the absence of Daniel Sturridge, which is now likely to stretch into the New Year following a further injury setback, the Italy international has managed just two goals in 13 appearances and has yet to notch in the Premier League.
Balotelli’s selection as the solitary figure at the spearhead of the Liverpool attack has drawn criticism with it generally accepted he plays better in partnership with someone else - as arguably Liverpool’s best performance of the season, August’s 3-0 win at Tottenham, illustrated.
Sturridge’s return and subsequent deployment up front had been expected to responds to such criticism, but with that option now unavailable to Rodgers, he has hinted he may now need to tinker with his set-up - that could either mean good or bad news for the £16million summer signing from AC Milan.
Out-of-favour frontmen Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini could see themselves play a greater role in the coming weeks, with either potentially tasked with partnering Balotelli in attack or even replacing the Italian outright as Rodgers concedes he may need to adopt new methods as he attempts to ignite his misfiring Liverpool side.
"You have to find the solutions when you are not winning games. You have to assess where you can be better and that is something I will always do,” Rodgers said.
"I am not dogmatic. I have shown in my time here we have played in various systems: possession and fast football, counter-attacking football. There are other possibilities for us and we will always explore that.
"That was one of the reasons we brought in the likes of Rickie. He is a talented footballer but he gives you a different option of playing in a different way.
"When he is in the team you have to ensure you get crosses into the box and get service for him, but it is the job of the manager to analyse that and pick what is the best structure in the game to get you a result."
Sturridge’s injury misery allied with the departure of Luis Suarez has, understandably, hampered Liverpool’s aspirations of eclipsing the form they produced last season.
And when asked if the difficulties had been a tough challenge for him as a manager, Rodgers responded: "Very much so. It is the beauty of the game at the leading edge.
"That week before the international break was tough in terms of results. Of course when you are a club the size of Liverpool the spotlight you come under is huge.
"But I can't complain. It is a wonderful life and the adverse moments always provide you with the opportunity to fight even harder, and that is what we all aim to do here.
"The club is very much together. It hasn't been a great start for us but we know we are only a short distance away from getting a few results which will push us back up, we are in the quarter-finals of a cup competition and the Champions League is still in our own hands.
"We just have to focus and really concentrate on moving on from a difficult period and looking to win games of football, which always changes the outcome."
In terms of looking to the future, Rodgers said a return to Crystal Palace would not hold any traumatic memories for them after their late collapse from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 last season, which put the final nail in their title dream.
"For me it wasn't the game that cost us," he said, referring to the home defeat by Chelsea the previous week which took the destiny out of their own hands.
"It is a new season, we have a new motivation to go there and get a result. It was a disappointment that night but we are very determined to kick-start our season."
Watch Crystal Palace v Liverpool live on Super Sunday. Coverage from Selhurst Park starts at 3:30pm, Sky Sports 1HD
