'Upset' Balotelli urged to settle into squad life

Roberto Mancini has warned an "upset" Mario Balotelli he must accept life as a squad player at Manchester City after he insisted football reasons, rather than disciplinary matters, led to the forward being banished to the Bernabeu stands for Tuesday's defeat by Real Madrid.

After cementing his status as a star of Euro 2012 with an outstanding two-goal display in Italy's semi-final victory against Germany, Balotelli found himself relegated to fourth-choice City striker against the Spanish champions.

Having triggered Mancini's anger in the past by preparing for key fixtures with nocturnal visits to strip bars and Indian restaurants, plus an impromptu firework display from his own bathroom, Balotelli's post-match activities after last Saturday's outing at Stoke - the forward did not break City's 48-hour pre-match curfew - came after he had been told he would not start in the Bernabeu.

But with the former Inter Milan forward expected to be named as a substitute against Arsenal tomorrow, Mancini admitted Balotelli could not expect to be the focal point of City's forward line as he is for Italy under coach Cesare Prandelli.

"We have four top strikers and, usually, we play with two while two stay on the bench with me," Mancini said. "I have to take the best decision for the team.

"Afterwards, you might see it as a mistake, but before the Real game, I thought it was a good decision. It was a tactical decision because I had two strikers, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, on the bench and three would have been too much.

"Balotelli was upset about not being involved, that's normal. I don't think there can be a player who doesn't play and is happy. Mario went to the stand because we decided to play with only Carlos Tevez. Mario is a player like other players - when he is on the bench sometimes he doesn't understand."

By insisting that Balotelli's omission against Real was a football decision, however, Mancini has unwittingly placed his own handling of the forward in the spotlight.

Having often spoken of his ability to understand Balotelli's complex personality better than rival coaches - Jose Mourinho described him as "unmanageable" during his time at Inter - Mancini has yet to inspire the same performances and maturity from the player that Prandelli achieved with Italy this summer.

While Mancini's management of Balotelli swings from indulgence to condemnation, and back again, Prandelli's ethos is about encouraging the player to assume the responsibility of being his team's talisman.

Indeed, he praised Balotelli's "bravery" to listen to the advice of others and his "character" for taking the first shoot-out penalty against England in Euro 2012. His support for the striker resulted in Balotelli delivering hugely influential performances against England and Germany, both of which were without the sulks and indiscipline that have defined his City career.

"Balotelli was part of a fantastic group of players, and he found a great coach like Prandelli, who has made him a better player," claimed Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon following Euro 2012. "But the main factor in his improvement was himself because he has worked hard."

Mancini's repeated calls for Balotelli to continue to work on his game and maturity contradict Prandelli's more relaxed approach, yet the City manager remains convinced of the player's qualities and ensured that the club resisted attempts by Paris St Germain to prise him away from the Etihad during the summer.

Balotelli's smoking remains an issue, a habit Mancini would prefer him to kick, but the manager hinted at his liberal approach to that element of the forward's character by claiming there is little he can do to force him to stop.

"If he wants to smoke it is his problem," Mancini said. "But if he wants my opinion, it is better that he quits. If he smokes 10 cigarettes a day, though, and scores two goals every game, then that's better. My patience with him is endless."

Mancini's patience was stretched to the limit by Balotelli's dismissal against Arsenal at the Emirates last season, which prompted the Italian to claim that the player had "probably" played his last game for the club, but that incident has since been forgiven and forgotten. The 1-0 defeat against Arsene Wenger's team in April, which appeared to have ended City's title hopes prior to their dramatic final-day triumph, remains their last domestic loss.

City are unbeaten in the league at the Etihad since losing to Everton in December 2010, but Mancini admitted Arsenal's new-look team pose a danger to his team's recent record.

"I think Arsenal can compete for the title," Mancini said. "I don't know if they are better than last year, but there is less pressure on them.

"They are very strong on the counter attack. I watched the game against Liverpool when they played really well and they have two important players - Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski are very good."

The Daily Telegraph

211905 GMT Sep12