The Rossoneri remain at a loss as to how to get the best out of the Italy striker, who has been linked with Chelsea, without diluting his immense talent
Type the phrase ‘Balotelli needs to learn’ into Google and you will see 1.12 million results staring back at you. As footballing cliches go, it’s one of the most exhaustively used in the modern game.
And the past six weeks have seen further need to assess Mario Balotelli’s current state of mind as his AC Milan future has been thrown into doubt by his latest mini-meltdown.
Since his sending off in the 2-1 defeat to Napoli in September, it seems everyone has had their say on Super Mario.
Since his sending off in the 2-1 defeat to Napoli in September, it seems everyone has had their say on Super Mario.
His brilliant performance at San Siro despite a first-ever penalty failure should have had everybody purring, but instead the judgements began with his coach Massimiliano Allegri following his act of dissent after the final whistle had resulted in him seeing red.
Allegri, who had warned only 24 hours earlier that Balotelli “must improve mentally”, said of his star man:
Allegri, who had warned only 24 hours earlier that Balotelli “must improve mentally”, said of his star man:
“It’s best to shut up and leave rather than stay there arguing with the referee, as it’s not going to change anything. Balotelli needs to improve that.”
And the advice didn’t stop there. Allegri and his assistant coach Mauro Tassotti both had more to add after the 23-year-old was handed a three-match ban for his actions, while team-mates Stephan El Shaarawy and Ignazio Abate, and even his former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, all had something to say about Mario’s need to control his temper.
But after admitting he was in the wrong and apologising to the club, their fans and his team-mates, Balotelli hit back, saying: “Mario got it wrong and Mario apologises, but I don’t want to apologise to everyone because it’s not as if I killed someone.”
There has been all sorts of talk surrounding the No. 45 since his return from suspension and the thigh injury which saw him miss his proposed return against Udinese, including speculation he was assigned a behavioural tutor by Milan. But that story was part of a wider issue in the eyes of the player’s agent, Mino Raiola.
And the advice didn’t stop there. Allegri and his assistant coach Mauro Tassotti both had more to add after the 23-year-old was handed a three-match ban for his actions, while team-mates Stephan El Shaarawy and Ignazio Abate, and even his former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, all had something to say about Mario’s need to control his temper.
But after admitting he was in the wrong and apologising to the club, their fans and his team-mates, Balotelli hit back, saying: “Mario got it wrong and Mario apologises, but I don’t want to apologise to everyone because it’s not as if I killed someone.”
There has been all sorts of talk surrounding the No. 45 since his return from suspension and the thigh injury which saw him miss his proposed return against Udinese, including speculation he was assigned a behavioural tutor by Milan. But that story was part of a wider issue in the eyes of the player’s agent, Mino Raiola.
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