Liverpool hero Didi Hamann insists Mario Balotelli is not alone in failing to perform for the Reds this season.
Hamann believes criticism of the Italian has been "over the top".
He told the Mail on Sunday: "He is not playing any differently to what he has done in the last five years. You know what you're getting with Balotelli, and the only difference with him now to previous years is that he's not scoring.
"I don't think he's as good as people make out but he is a very talented player and could be a success at Liverpool.
"I've been critical of Mario recently (the shirt swapping incident), but I feel the criticism elsewhere has been overboard in particular after the Real Madrid game.
"He shouldn't have swapped shirts with Pepe but ultimately it had no bearing on the result and the way Liverpool played.
"They've been under par most of the season and have struggled for results and that isn't Mario's fault. He needs support now from everyone at Liverpool because the last thing he needs is people hitting him over the head with a sledgehammer."
