Video: Dzeko Mocks Balotelli Bib Incident

Roberto Mancini

Edin Dzeko did his best impression of fellow Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli in a warm up.

Balotelli had earlier made himself look a complete fool when he tried, and failed to put a training bib on, not once but twice. Both times, the Italian striker who had been followed by Manchester United before his move to City, needed help from one of the City staff.

Roberto Mancini has admitted that the striker was "stupid" after getting himself sent off for an astonishingly mindless chest high challenge in City's Europa League tie with Dynamo Kiev, leaving City with ten men and in an unfortunate position.

Jose Mourinho, who was manager of Inter Milan when Balotelli played there also isn't a big fan of Balotelli's temper. He said:

“The guy has incredible qualities, but sometimes does not know how to use his brain."

At the moment, Balotelli is a joke. He is an easy target for rival fans because of the cockiness he showed earlier in his City career, his apparent disloyalty to City, his often static performances and petulant behaviour on the pitch. It's fair to say, he is no role model.

But then, what he needs is a role model - someone to look up to and look after him - because there is no doubt that the guy has talent. It seems that the 20 year old is finally coming to recognise that too, because after his omission from the Italian squad picked by Cesare Prandelli for the upcoming internationals, he spoke to the Italy coach. Prandelli said:

"I have heard from Balotelli. He understands that he made a fool of himself.

"He said to me: 'I need help. I always ruin everything but I care a lot about the national team.'

The sooner Balotelli grows up and takes some responsibility, the better. He could become a great striker - a great player, but when you are as confident and cocky as he is, you need to have the goals and the quality to back it up. Much like Cristiano Ronaldo did in his time at Manchester United. He matured into one of the best players in the world, and it is this kind of player that Balotelli wants to be like.

Time to pull his socks up. Time to grow up.

Balotelli on the Insult Offensive again

Roberto Mancini

Mario is at it again. Not a month has passed since the Manchester City striker claimed to be better than Cesc Fabregas and Wayne Rooney, that he didn't know who Jack Wilshere was and that Lionel Messi was only a "little" better than him, but now the 20 year-old has had more to say! Joy! This time his comments regard club rivals Manchester United and their striker Wayne Rooney, Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, the lack of manners and respect that Jose Mourinho has (the irony!), and the way in which Rafael Benitez got rid of Balotelli from Inter.

Lets start with Rooney. He isn't having the best of seasons, I'm sure even he would admit that. He hasn't scored the goals he would have like, he hasn't had the perfect touch that he had previous to the World Cup, and he hasn't been passing it well enough (50% pass rate against Tottenham). Balotelli on the other hand, when he has played this season has looked impressive, scoring 5 goals in 9 appearances for City, and there is somone who has noticed this.

"He [Rooney] is a very good player but not the best [striker] in Manchester"

From that quote, and from the fact that Balotelli is completely infatuated with himself, the only conclusion I can take is that he is saying that he is better than Rooney - he surely couldn't be praising another player, could he, like Carlos Tevez or even Dimitar Berbatov - joint top scorers this season. At the moment, you would have to agree, Rooney isn't the best striker in Manchester, he is far from it, but it is quite surprising that a player could be so confident (or perhaps cocky) to say such a thing.

Currently sidelined with a knee injury, Balotelli turned his head towards his, and two of his other team mates' brilliance. Claiming that him, Tevez and Dzeko are better than both Barcelona and Real Madrid's attack:

"Our attack of Balotelli-Tevez-Dzeko is the best in the world. We are the strongest. Better even than Barcelona and Real Madrid."

Next, the former Inter striker had a bit of advice for Jose Mourinho. Although calling him the "best manager in the world", Balotelli commented on a couple of things the current Real Madrid manager needs improving on. Two things that, personally, I don't think Balotelli is an expert on himself: manners and respect;

"[Mourinho] is the best coach in the world, but as a man he still has to learn manners and respect. [Mancini] is the most important coach I've ever had. He'll soon become the No1 in the world. But already now, in terms of human qualities, he is two kilometres ahead of Mourinho, wait, make that 10 kilometres."

He is obviously a big fan of Mancini - of course not as big a fan than he is of himself, but a fan nonetheless, and it is nice to see that Mancini is held in high regard by Balotelli, he does after all have to manage the player every day on the training field.
One manager he doesn't have this kind of respect for is Rafael Benitez. He was manager for Inter for a short period when Balotelli was in Milan:

 "He just told me: 'You come after Milito, Eto'o and Pandev, fourth-choice striker.' I said: 'That's it, ciao.'"

It can be nice to see strong headed, confident players expressing their views and then backing them up on the football pitch with outstanding shows of brilliance. However, it is not great when a player like Balotelli, seemingly arrogant, smug, egotistical, over confident, cocky, insulting and self adoring insults fellow professionals time after time. He is only 20 years-old, and immature, but there is no doubting his obvious talents. I just don't see why he has to continuously tell the world about it as well as being disrespectful when he can just show his qualities on the field.

Man City's Shay Given and Adam Johnson Want Out

Roberto Mancini

Money doesn't buy happiness apparently - even if you are a footballer. It has emerged that both Shay Given and Adam Johnson of Manchester City are becoming more and more frustrated by the lack of starts that they are handed, and have both threatened to leave the club if the situation doesn't change.

Johnson moved to Manchester City from Middlesbrough on 1 February 2010, and has since announced himself as one of the biggest English attacking forces from his position in the country. He was called up to the England first team and scored 2 goals against Bulgaria and Switzerland. Yet these achievements have not nailed him down a first team spot at Eastlands.

When asked if he would leave City in search of first team football, the 23 year old had this to say:

"Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes. It is still early but I definitely would consider it."

The City number 11 also described how bitterly disappointed he was to be left out against club rivals Manchester United:

"It is disappointing when you are not playing from the start in games like that. I was itching to get on. I was dying to play from the start not just come on. The manager has to make decisions but I was gutted to be left out."

Mancini is starting to choose Milner and David Silva ahead of Johnson in a 5-man midfield which supports the lone striker - usually Carlos Tevez. Many think that the young man deserves first team football as he has proved his brilliant technical ability as well as the great ability to create goals from nothing. His pace can also tear defences apart. However, Roberto Mancini is a far more defensive man than many City fans would like, and prefers to play with less emphasis on the attack, and more on defence. His 3 man defensive midfield of Barry, De Jong and Yaya Toure highlights this.

 

Shay Given knows how the left winger feels too, as the Irish goalkeeper said:

"My own personal situation isn't ideal as everyone knows and I have spoken about it in the past, so we will see what happens over the next couple of months in that respect."

"I want to be playing football and I have always said that, so hopefully something will happen in the New Year."

Arsenal may still be looking for a reliable goalkeeper and could make a move in January, despite the current good form of Lukas Fabianski, and Manchester United are still looking for an Edwin van der sar replacement, so his options are far from limited.

The rise of England number 1 Joe Hart has caused Given to feel isolated, and unable to get a fair run in the team, and having played over 350 games for Newcastle over a 12 year spell, he is not used to it.

Mancini needs to sit down with players such as Johnson and Given and make them feel wanted by the club. It is his job to do so, as it is these hard working, willing players that a team overcrowded with ludicrously over-paid players happy to take their pay cheques and sit on the bench, need.

Disappointing Derby Day - City 0 - 0 United

Roberto Mancini

After all of the build up, all of the talk, and all of the excitement churning in Manchester for the Manchester derby, it turned out to be the only goal-less game in the Premier League of the day.

"Tevez can win it on his own!" roared Joe Hart, "All talk!" cried Evra, "Chelsea will win the title!" screamed Roberto Mancini. If the build up was anything to go by, this game should have been one to remember, but unfortunately, it was the opposite to that.

The match fell victim of all of the hype. Much was expected of the clash of the Manchester clubs in what was expected to be a ferocious, controversy filled night - the closest we got to that was Rafael squaring up to Carlos Tevez - entertaining for a minute, but it is good football and goals we wanted to see.

Overall, United had the most possession of the ball, 53.4% to be precise, but could do very little with it. Likewise with City, when they had the ball, the United defence were too compact, and City players were not committed forward enough to mount to any real attacking threat.

Both teams had good periods where they pressurised the opposing defence, and kept the ball for long periods, but the stats don't lie, and with United having only 3 shots on target, while City had 2, you really didn't miss much if you did happen to skip the game.

United remain unbeaten this season, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson was disappointed with the draw

"City are very difficult to beat on their own ground and obviously they set their stall out," he told Sky Sports.

"I think there was too much tension for it to be kind of match people thought it would be. They set their stall out in the second half and made it very difficult for us.

"It's a decent result but we don't count draws away from home as the target before the game. Our target is to win the game and I think we had enough possession to do that

"Some of our football was good, we were good on the ball but we needed to create openings to win the match and we only really made two which was difficult."

Roberto Mancini on the other had was just happy his team improved on last seasons result.

"I think it was a difficult game for both teams. I think the result is correct but we improved from last year because we didn't concede a goal in the last minute.

"I wanted to win this game but sometimes it is better to draw than lose. We played the game to win, though."

Manchester United and Manchester City fans' heart rate would have been ever so slightly higher watching this game, but it was nothing compared to the 4 - 3 classic at Old Trafford last season, and the tense 0 - 1 win at City last year too. However for the neutral viewer, well, it wasn't great.