Rickie Lambert spoke to Bristol Live about his time at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers.
The Englishman joined the Reds from Southampton back in the summer of 2014, but his time at Anfield wasn’t really as eventful as he would have liked.
Lambert was sold to West Bromwich Albion after just one season at Liverpool. But the Englishman feels that he deserved a better chance under Rodgers.
The former Southampton man played second-fiddle to Mario Balotelli that season and he didn’t like it at all.
Lambert said: “Brendan Rodgers brought in Mario Balotelli and put him in ahead of me, and it done my head in to be honest. I couldn’t understand.
“The way he used to train was a disgrace. Off the training pitch, he’s quite infectious, a lovely lad. But his persona on the training pitch is not good.
“I just didn’t understand how Rodgers was letting him get away with it, and picking him ahead of me. It affected me directly, but it had a negative impact on the team.”
Balotelli had a terrible time at Anfield, scoring just four goals all season. Lambert managed to score three times and picked up two assists despite not starting many games.
Very much like Lambert, Balotelli was shipped out of Liverpool after just one season. The Italian joined AC Milan on loan before leaving the Reds permanently for French side Nice.
The career trajectories of both players didn’t really improve after leaving Liverpool. But Reds fans won’t be too disappointed considering how successful they are now, with players far superior.
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