Mario Balotelli, Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge And Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool Striker Fails To Score Premier League Goal And Has Embarrassing Miss

Last season, things couldn't have been better for Brendan Rodgers, but after losing Luis Suarez and replacing him with Mario Balotelli, it's safe to say things haven't gone according to plan. Of course, Pool still have Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge, but fitness concerns for the first and injury agonies for the latter have ruined what would be an otherwise exciting, attacking forward line. Balotelli has so far failed to replace Suarez, with the star missing an open goal in yesterday's win over QPR, meaning he still has yet to open his Premier League goals account for the Reds.

The Italian forward cost around $25 million, and he has failed to live up to the massive hype he brought with him.

But Liverpool manager Rodgers has defended the striker, saying, "It will drop for the boy. The most important thing for me is his work rate. The guy is doing his best and working really hard and it is not dropping for him. I would say he would have finished that if Caulker had not put it in. He is seen as the direct replacement for Luis Suarez. And as I said before, Luis is irreplaceable. A real world-class talent and that is not what is being asked of Mario."

Sterling has admitted he's feeling tired, while Sturridge has faced one injury after another, making for a terrible time for the Reds. Balotelli has had all the attention on him recently, and in their match against QPR, he could've scored a near open goal, yet failed to do so. The Italian forward has received stick from much of the press, fans and Liverpool legends, and even Suarez himself said he was responsible for all the club's success last season.

Is there anyway back to the top for the Reds, or are they and Balotelli destined for failure this season? Comment below!