I risk the wrath of many, but i'm going there...Balotelli...

[DoomMerchant]

Only player who seemed to give a shit today and scored a brace while he's at it

And there you have it in a nutshell.Somebody thinks he was the only player to give a shit and others,me included ( although I am obviously a hater of Mario because that's what I've been told) thought he didnt give a toss and was lazy and largely a waste of space.After 5 minutes I said he looked like he was in the wrong mood and from what Mancini said after the game he thought exactly the same.

Yet he scored two so what can you do?

And that's where the problem is. He can do so much yet can give so little. Just watching MotD and he's getting shit off that bloke who used to comment on Robot Wars, the fat geet. What really pee's me off about Mario is that he doesn't seem too play for the team but plays for himself. I think my mind was made up about him when he shoved Silva off to show his love for his Mrs on his t-shirt, it was well out of order.

Like I said though, he wasn't has bad as people made out today but only decided to really push on until he was fucked off by Kolarov.

He's a 21 year old kid who has loads of talent but is a bit of a fucking knob at times. Imo, he put in effort today but sulked in between & that has attracted people's attention. He still ran about though & was still running at the end.

With all our finances, how the fuck have we got into a position where we have to rely on him though? He should be a luxury not a neccessity. Plenty of us saw that this time last year. We have to put out two players in him & Dzeko that don't play together at all. Why is that neccessary ? Why is the only other option, a left footed right winger ?

Why haven't we got someone other than a really shit fullback who can cross the ball ? Why did we have to rely on that fucking clown Savic when we got injuries ?

Why isn't the squad balanced yet ? We talked about all this on here both in the summer & at Christmas.

Ask Mancini mate.

correctomundo Fonzie. Why he keeps asking all the right questions and doesn't think Mancini's head should roll for all of the above and more i have no idea.

[The Original Special One]

Now, I admit he has turned in a couple of excellent performances this season, and he has scored some important goals but I genuinely don't believe he has turned up for a couple of months now. Yes, he scored twice today, one penalty, and one beauty, but the lad is playing for himself, with no interest in the club or team. His argument today with Kolarov was an absolute embarrassment and quite frankly I want him gone in the Summer. So many fans treat him like the 2nd coming, and maybe its just me that doesn't get it, but I am sick of him and want rid.

While i'm on this rant I feel I should reiterate my support for Mancini and everyone else, I just don't think in the long term, Balotelli has brought anything other than disharmony.

I agree with you on both fronts; today was the last straw for me with Balotelli, and I'm 100% behind Mancini

[dazby]

Before you kick him out of the club, just ask yourself if you think he's been better this season than he was last season? Then ask yourself if you think he'll be better again next season?

For me, the answer to both those questions is yes. If he was 26 and playing like this I'd want him gone. But he's got more to give.

[dick dastardley]

Ballotelli and dzeko are a shite partnership. Soon as i saw the line up yesterday i thought we were gonna struggle. To play milner and dejong in same line up was wrong. One or the other for me.

[thegoatfeeder]

Before you kick him out of the club, just ask yourself if you think he's been better this season than he was last season? Then ask yourself if you think he'll be better again next season?

For me, the answer to both those questions is yes. If he was 26 and playing like this I'd want him gone. But he's got more to give.

The morning after, and yes I can definitely understand that point of view. I just got so angry about his arguing with his team mates yesterday, I think it was massively disrespectful to the shirt (i'm also one of the people that would rather not have Tevez back for the same reason), he has scored goals and I don't deny that, I just feel his all round game has been lacking lately and I can't help put think that all the off the pitch bollocks doesn't help anyone.

[Beefymcfc]

This thread's like our game yesterday, attack, defend, attack, defend. Although Mario pisses me off with his antics Idon't wnat rid of him. He could become a very good footballer for us and that is the key for me as I don't really give a monkey's what players do off the pitch (unless it brings the club into it). Ted raised the question about why he has become a necessity rather than a luxury at this moment and I think the matter is 3 fold:

1. Dzeko's strop in Munich.

2. Tevez' strop in Munich.

3. Mancini's need to prove he was right to bring him in.

The first 2 are self-explantory and Edin saw less game time after that incident which I feel led to his decline on the pitch. Mancini then seemed to turn to Mario and it was a chance to get his boy on the pitch without looking as though he was favouring him. That trust has backfired on a few occassions but the biggest thing for me is how other players now see this situation.

Over the course of the season Mario has been dealt favourable situations by the boss and when you look around at the other players who haven't towed the line then you'll see that Mancini is clearly giving the lad an extra yard or two. He's had bust-ups in training (yes, it always happens), bust-ups on the pitch and off-field incidents where he's been fined. Every game I'm looking for the same thing and it's nothing to do with football. We've witnessed his strops with Yaya when a free-kick is given, the barny with AK yesterday and the little innocuous one's where he pushes players away to show his lovely T-Shirts. This may be a little thing to some but it's one that really riles me. If a team mate wants to celebrate with you after scoring a goal then you should respond accordingly, that player has probably helped set-up that goal and to push them away is a slap in the face for that player, especially for a World Cup winner.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Was Kolarov wrong to argue with Balotelli? Was it pre arranged that Kolarov would take all the free kicks? Even the ones that suit a right footer?

It takes two to have an argument.

I don't believe Mario was any worse performance wise than anyone else yesterday.

[Goaters 103]

I'm not Mario's biggest fan but to solely look at him for yesterday's malaise is to miss the point.

I dont subscribe to the theory that he was the only one who gave a toss either, but his 90 minutes yesterday were a psychologist's wet dream with all that is good and often bad about him thrown in to the melting pot. Great goal and penalty, petulance, battles with centre-halves, sulking and yet more often the best threat we had in possession of the ball too.

For the free kick, as the ball is on the left-hand side its natural that a right footed player should take that kick, rather than Kolarov who thinks he can score from any angle. Kolarov can take a decent free kick but it isnt right to label him as our free kick specialist - he simply takes all the free kicks, so naturally 3 or 4 times a year he will score but he shouldnt be the only option we use in every situation either.

[Grob]

Ballotelli and dzeko are a shite partnership. Soon as i saw the line up yesterday i thought we were gonna struggle. To play milner and dejong in same line up was wrong. One or the other for me.

I think thats an excellent point. When we were playing well at the start of the season, Mario and Dzeko were rarely on the pitch at the same time. I remember watching them at the Community Shield back when when they played together and Mario was apalling and Edin not much better. And its been the same for me in the past 2 games.

Mario's antics make me laugh but he produces about 25% of what he is capable of. The talent is there but there is no passion, no determination, no willingness to improve, no controlled intensity about his game. Everytime I watch him I feel disappointed.

What gets me the most is the sulking attitude. He just doesnt look bothered. He never tries to fire up the team, encourage his teamates. Mind you apart from Vinny and Micah you could say that about the lot of them. No passion, no perceived desire.

He's 21 now, no longer a kid, and if Mancini is the only man who can manage him as its been widely suggested, and this is the best he can get out of the player, maybe he's never going to reach his potential.

I would sell him in the summer, get rid of the circus, and buy a top quality, reliable, 30 goal a season striker which we can afford and attract.

[The Original Special One]

Before you kick him out of the club, just ask yourself if you think he's been better this season than he was last season? Then ask yourself if you think he'll be better again next season?

For me, the answer to both those questions is yes. If he was 26 and playing like this I'd want him gone. But he's got more to give.

Agreed he has been better but I just think this media celebrity status is threatening to derail him.

This Inter press conference shenanigans was the action of somebody who always has to be the centre of attention; few players in the Premier League would even attempt the shot on goal yesterday, never mind score from it, but then he continues to behave like a petulant 12 year old, whether for penalties not given, or for this free kick nonsense; the expressions on Kompany's and Kolarov's faces spoke volumes about what they think of him

[Blue Since 76]

Ballotelli and dzeko are a shite partnership. Soon as i saw the line up yesterday i thought we were gonna struggle.

MOTD made a comment that we hadn't won a game in which they'd started together. Surprised it's that bad, but there's no link between them

[paddyblue]

Was Kolarov wrong to argue with Balotelli? Was it pre arranged that Kolarov would take all the free kicks? Even the ones that suit a right footer?

It takes two to have an argument.

I don't believe Mario was any worse performance wise than anyone else yesterday.

i agree there but he should have walked away when the club captain asked him to,he still persisted for a short while,i think some of the players are getting pissed off with his attitude

[phips]

I would bench the kid for an extended period of time. let him sulk while he learns
that his behavior isnt acceptable even if he does have some raw talent right now.

unfortunately, we're at a crucial point in the season and cant afford to do that
largely because Aguero is out and Dzeko hasnt done fuck all recently.
although, if this shit happens next season I hope Mancini axes Balo from the
starting 11 and the subs for a month or something. put his ass in the dog house.
he's under contract so he has to deal...and hopefully learn.

[lovecity8utd]

I was hoping mancini was going to haul him off when he played up yesterday. He might have talent (we haven't really seen it yet) but I'm bored of his selfish attitude - he should ask himself "why always me"?