Mario Balotelli Eager for Liverpool Boss Brendan Rodgers to Play Two Upfront

Mario Balotelli believes his problems in front of goal for Liverpool this season will be solved once Brendan Rodgers pairs him with a strike partner upfront.

Injury to Daniel Sturridge has forced the Reds boss to reshuffle his attacking options, deploying Balotelli as a lone striker in the England international's absence.

The former AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester City star however has only found the back of the net once in that time against Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets.

Since Sturridge's last game for the club - a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 31 August – the club have scored just six goals in six league and Champions League games, but Balotelli believes his side will begin to address that once he is reunited with Sturridge.

"I know I have one goal in the Champions League, but in the Premier League I have to start with one," Balotelli told Sport Magazine.

"After that, I might set myself a target, but I swear – right now my first league goal is my first and only objective. I need to get in the box more. I don't do it enough, but it is something I am working to try to do more.

"I have never been a real, out-and-out striker – I have always been someone who goes around the pitch.

"If it was my choice, I would always go with two strikers. It is the way I like to play, but Brendan asked me to play as the first striker. I understand that when the ball comes from wide on the left or right, I need to be in the box otherwise there might be no one there at all.

"I can see already that the Liverpool fans really like me, although I know that maybe they are a little upset because I don't score. I see they appreciate that I am working hard, though, which is nice for me."

Although Rodgers also has the options of Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert at his disposal, he has been reluctant to pair one of them with Balotelli up front. Lambert, a summer arrival from Southampton, has been brought off the bench twice to replace the Italian in the league this season with that change happening in reverse in the recent win against West Brom.

The two have shared the pitch for just 16 minutes in the Premier League this season and just 10 in Europe.