Liverpool legend John Barnes feels Mario Balotelli is a scapegoat for the team's poor form.
Balotelli, who has been under intense scrutiny since his summer move to Anfield from AC Milan, has only scored once so far this season and was substituted at half time against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
"He's a reflection of the team," Barnes said. "If the team's not doing well, none of the individual players [are doing well].
"Look at Adam Lallana, who is a good player, Balotelli is a good player, a lot of them are good players - [Lazar] Markovic [as well].
"But if you come into a team that is - I won't say struggling - but not playing to its potential, then you are going to replicate that, you are not playing to your potential either."
Barnes has no doubts that Balotelli will soon start to replicate the goalscoring form he had been showing at AC Milan.
"Once the team picks up and they get used to each other, I've got no fears that Balotelli will start to score goals and start to do much better, which goes alongside when the team starts to do better."
