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Balotelli blames poor form at Liverpool on Rodgers' tactics after signing with AC Milan

Reuters

Following his return to AC Milan on loan, Mario Balotelli has had his say on what went wrong at Liverpool.

Related: Welcome back: Mario Balotelli joins AC Milan on season-long loan from Liverpool

The Italian had a sorry spell on Merseyside, scoring just one goal in 16 Premier League appearances and last getting on the scoresheet in a Europa League tie in February.

The striker insists his drab record with the Reds is not all his fault, however.

"I accept my side of the blame, but (Brendan) Rodgers' tactics were not suited to my characteristics either," Balotelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport, courtesy of ESPNFC.

"At the start, I missed a few easy chances, and then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck and injuries. It was a mess."

He's adamant that he didn't complain to then-manager Rodgers, though, and says he's a changed man, despite AC Milan's reported insertion of behavioural clauses in his contract.

"I have made a promise to myself, to Milan, to (coach Sinisa) Mihajlovic, to (agent Mino) Raiola and to everybody who cares about me: I'm starting out from scratch."

Balotelli convinced Mihajlovic that he'd matured in a conversation preceding the move. The Serbian was his assistant manager at Inter Milan eight years ago.

"(I told him) that I've seen the error of my ways and that if he gave me this chance, I would not let him down. I will give it everything I have got. I am a man now and I don't create problems."

Ultimately, the final decision of whether to bring Balotelli back lay with honourary president Silvio Berlusconi. He approved the deal despite calling the controversial forward a "rotten apple" last year.

Balotelli's main and very personal motivation is to win his place back in Antonio Conte's Italy side, with Euro 2016 edging closer.

"Seeing myself in a national team shirt again was one of my father's biggest wishes before he died. I owe it to him."

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