Mario Balotelli’s Childishness Is Costing ManCity And Roberto Mancini Only Has Himself To Blame

Taking that into account, surely many will rightly ask why Mancini even bothered taking the risk with the boy he had so often seen fly off the handle when he had coached him in Milan?

It is looking ever more like a terrible piece of business by the City boss. The model from which to copy is not too far away from the Italian’s eyesight.

Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes look to be leading Manchester United to a 19th league title, still heeding the mantra that no player, regardless of his ability, is bigger than the institution for which he plays. Successful clubs are built on spirit and pride, which, for all of his abilities with a football, Balotelli appears to have yet been able to add to his armoury.

Most troubling of all for Man City, tonight’s debacle proved that the Balotelli problem transcends money. For all the riches in the world, which the Manchester club appears to have at its disposal anyway, a player who will actively damage your side’s chances of success by merely being present, by body if not in mind, is much worse than a flop. He’s a full-on crisis.

Balotelli’s team-mates know that excuses will no longer wash and behind the frail defences that they offered for the youngster’s actions this evening, an acknowledgement of required change was barely suppressible on the faces of his more experienced, more level-headed colleagues.

“He’s a talented boy…but he’s let the team down,” said Nigel De Jong after City crashed out. Intentionally or not, the Dutchman had hit the proverbial nail on the head. A prodigy he may be but in the eyes of those around him, Mario Balotelli continues to be little more than a problem child.