There has been much criticism of the tactic of playing the 24-year-old on his own in a front three as it is generally accepted he plays better in tandem with someone else.

That was expected to be Sturridge at Crystal Palace on Sunday, but a new thigh injury this week has ended hopes the pair could reinstate their partnership which was so effective in Balotelli’s – and the team’s – best performance of the season in the 3-0 win at Tottenham in Sturridge’s last game for the club.

With that option now unavailable to Rodgers, he has hinted he may now need to tinker with his set-up.

That could either mean good or bad news for the £16m summer signing from AC Milan.

Rodgers had confirmed Rickie Lambert, another close-season arrival, will play a greater role in the coming weeks and he could opt to play the former Southampton man, who has yet to open his account, in a two up front or even replace Balotelli outright.

Either way it suggests a change in tactics from the Reds boss, who also has Fabio Borini at his disposal.

“You have to find the solutions when you are not winning games,” said Rodgers, whose side have won just once in their last six matches in all competitions and taken only one point from their last three league matches.

“You have to assess where you can be better and that is something I will always do.

“I am not dogmatic. I have shown in my time here we have played in various systems: possession and fast football, counter-attacking football.

“There are other possibilities for us and we will always explore that.

“That was one of the reasons we brought in the likes of Rickie. He is a talented footballer but he gives you a different option of playing in a different way.

“When he is in the team you have to ensure you get crosses into the box and get service for him, but it is the job of the manager to analyse that and pick what is the best structure in the game to get you a result.”

Shorn of the goals of Sturridge and summer departure Luis Suarez, Liverpool have not come remotely close to replicating the sort of form which saw them finish runners-up last season.

The Balotelli conundrum has very much tested Rodgers, as has working out how to integrate the numerous summer signings he made with the proceeds of the £75million sale of Suarez to Barcelona and get them up to speed.

“Very much so. It is the beauty of the game at the leading edge,” said the Northern Irishman, when asked whether it had been a tough challenge for him as manager.

“That week before the international break (when they lost to Newcastle, Real Madrid and Chelsea) was tough in terms of results.

“Of course when you are a club the size of Liverpool the spotlight you come under is huge.

“But I can’t complain. It is a wonderful life and the adverse moments always provide you with the opportunity to fight even harder, and that is what we all aim to do here.

“The club is very much together. It hasn’t been a great start for us but we know we are only a short distance away from getting a few results which will push us back up, we are in the quarter-finals of a cup competition and the Champions League is still in our own hands.

“We just have to focus and really concentrate on moving on from a difficult period and looking to win games of football, which always changes the outcome.”

In terms of looking to the future, Rodgers said a return to Crystal Palace would not hold any traumatic memories for them after their late collapse from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 last season, which put the final nail in their title dream.

“For me it wasn’t the game that cost us,” he said, referring to the home defeat by Chelsea the previous week which took the destiny out of their own hands.

“It is a new season, we have a new motivation to go there and get a result.

“It was a disappointment that night but we are very determined to kick-start our season.”