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General view of Anfield

Liverpool

Mario Balotelli 'has until Christmas to prove himself at Liverpool'

By , Reporter
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli reportedly has until Christmas to save his Anfield career.

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has reportedly been given until Christmas to prove himself at Anfield.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers held talks with the player on Thursday and outlined what is required to prevent the club from moving him on in January, The Mirror reports.

Balotelli has come under fire following a string of below-par performances on the pitch and was fined for swapping shirts with Real Madrid defender Pepe at half time of the Merseyside outfit's 3-0 Champions League defeat by the Spaniards.

The Italy international, who joined Liverpool in a deal worth £16m over the summer, is yet to score for the Reds in the Premier League and has netted just once in Europe.

Rodgers is said to be considering benching Balotelli for this weekend's clash with Hull City in favour of giving Rickie Lambert a chance to shine.

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A stoic-looking Brendan Rodgers ahead of Liverpool's game with Man City on August 25, 2014
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Arsenal19116238172139
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford197393335-224
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276
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