Penalty row is behind us, insists Liverpool boss Rodgers
Liverpool manager says there's no problems between Balotelli and teammates ahead of clash with fellow top-four hopefuls Southampton
The harmony - or lack of it - in Liverpool's squad will fall under the microscope on Sunday when Brendan Rodgers' side visit Southampton in a clash of Champions League qualification hopefuls.
Liverpool's 1-0 win over Besiktas in the Europa League on Thursday was overshadowed by an incident in the build-up to the hosts' late winner when substitute Mario Balotelli snatched the ball from stand-in captain Jordan Henderson before scoring the penalty that settled the game.
You see from the way the team has been playing recently the respect and commitment they show for each other
Regular captain Steven Gerrard, analysing the first-leg match for TV as he convalesces following a hamstring injury, said Balotelli's behaviour had been "disrespectful" to Henderson.
But Henderson and Balotelli downplayed the altercation after the game - the former in a television interview; the latter, inevitably, on social media - and Rodgers said he would make sure the matter was put to bed.
"That is my job to manage that. It is what I do behind the scenes every day," the Liverpool manager said. "You see from the way the team has been playing recently the respect and commitment they show for each other.
"The only thing I would say on it is I don't like the etiquette. You don't like to see four or five players around a football looking to take it.
"It was maybe more the etiquette which was not as we would have liked, but we got the end result."