Mario antics hide Reds’ real problem

Under-fire striker Mario Balotelli’s spell in the headlines has helped deflect attention from Liverpool’s real problem but manager Brendan Rodgers knows that is something which cannot be ignored.

The Reds have kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 matches.

A summer overhaul of the defence has not rectified an increasingly worrying issue, with Liverpool crashing to a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday.