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Balotelli's bosses: How have they tried to tame him?

"Trouble!" That was the deadpan quip from Brendan Rodgers on live TV after the Liverpool manager ...



Balotelli's bosses: How ha...
Soccer

Balotelli's bosses: How have they tried to tame him?

"Trouble!"

That was the deadpan quip from Brendan Rodgers on live TV after the Liverpool manager was asked about what to expect from his latest summer signing.

Trouble is certainly a word that can be applied to Mario Balotelli's time at most of the clubs he has played, although his antics have tended to be quite childish rather than malicious.

But the must frustrating thing for the managers he has played under must be the fact that his talent has never been truly unlocked due to his eccentric behaviour.

That is the challenge for Rodgers and it is one that many have tried but ultimately failed to achieve whether its with a tough love approach or the proverbial arm around the shoulder.

 

Roberto Mancini

This one is by far the most complex and long-standing relationship Balotelli has had with a manager. While Mancini gave Balotelli his start at Inter Milan in 2007 and almost acted as a concerned father to a wayward son, he once described his mentee as "crazy" and remarked that had they been team-mates he would likely have punched him once per day at training.

The strength of Mancini's belief in Balotelli was evident when he brought him to Man City in the summer of 2010. However, Balotelli seemed to be something of a distraction when the two were at Manchester City with the manager constantly fighting fires in the media whenever Balotelli got involved in a controversy on and off the pitch.

When his striker was struggling to settle in Manchester and barely left his apartment, Mancini even enlisted his own biological son Andrea to spend time with his footballing prodigal son in a bid to "tame" him.

Unfortunately for the two men, their tempestuous relationship came to an end in a hail of blows following a training ground bust-up in December which led to the 24-year-old's exit to Milan. 

But despite their falling out, Mancini seemed genuinely sad to see Balotelli leave as the video above shows.

 

Jose Mourinho

The Chelsea manager once described Balotelli as "unmanageable" which certainly cannot be taken as a compliment.

The Special One inherited the striker after replacing Mancini as Inter Milan manager in 2008 and quickly took a dislike to Balotelli's perceived lack of effort in training and had no qualms about laying down the law.

In 2009, he dropped Balotelli from Inter's first team squad and was clear about the reasons:

"As far as I'm concerned a young boy like him cannot allow himself to train less than people like Figo, Cordoba or Zanetti.

"I can't accept that from someone who is still a nobody, who hasn't made it yet, who is still a talent with potential. He needs to train harder, to understand what are the important things for me which I think are important for him and his future."

Mourinho didn't think much of Balotelli's efforts in training EPA/MATTEO BAZZI

Then again, time appears to be a great healer and he was able to have a laugh about one of the Italy striker's mishaps a few years later: 

He probably doesn't miss working with Balotelli, though! 

 

Cesare Prandelli

It ended with the former Italy manager stating that Balotelli in a place "far from reality" but for a long time, Prandelli seemed to have come closest to keeping the player's feet on the ground.

Up until the 2014 World Cup, which did not go well for Balotelli after scoring the winner against England in the opening match, he had only shone intermittently in the blue of Italy.

Italian national soccer team head coach Cesare Prandelli (L) talks with forward Mario Balotelli (R) during their team's training session in Krakow, Poland, 19 June 2012. Italy reached the quarter finals of the UEFA EURO 2012 after beating Ireland 2-0 in the last group C preliminary round match. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

While there are fewer opportunities for Balotelli to cause a ruckus at international level, occasional tensions between he and Prandelli did surface.

At Euro 2012, Balotelli was dropped from the starting lineup for the final group match against Ireland and right after scoring in that game, he appeared to try to shout something towards Prandelli whilst celebrating and fortunately team-mate Leonardo Bonucci covered his mouth to stop his undoubtedly strong words from causing any damage.

Italy's Mario Balotelli (L) celebrates with his teammate Leonardo Bonucci (R) after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Group C preliminary round match of the UEFA EURO 2012 between Italy and Ireland in Poznan, Poland, 18 June 2012. Italy won 2-0. EPA/ADAM CIERESZKO 

Prandelli had a code of conduct with the national team which required good behaviour at club level. Balotelli, predictably crossed that line from time to time and was dropped for a friendly in early 2012 after his ban for stamping on Tottenham's Scott Parker during a Premier League match. 

Yet Prandelli did put plenty of trust in Balotelli by making a cornerstone of the forward line. That was not exactly repaid in kind with poor performances in the final two group games at this summer's World Cup, and an alleged dressing room argument with the manager at half-time during the 1 - 0 defeat to Uruguay.

But although, the current Galatasaray manager feels Balotelli can occasionally be away with the fairies in a manner of speaking, he did describe him as a "fundamentally a good guy". 

 

Massimiliano Allegri

Arguably, Balotelli's best period of sustained club form came under Allegri in the four months after he signed for Milan in January 2013.

Indeed his 12 goals in 13 games in the run in that season played a key role in helping Milan pip Fiorentina to the final Champions League position that May. 

However, it is unclear whether it was Balotelli's initial joy at playing for his boyhood club or Allegri's management which led to that spurt in form.

Head coach of AC Milan, Massimiliano Allegri (R), talks to AC Milan's Mario Balotelli (L) during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan ad Roma at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, 16 December 2013. EPA/DANIELE MASCOLO

Either way the following season all was not rosy. After a poor performance in a match against Parma, the current Juventus boss told the media: "Mario has got to do the centre-forward position better. He’s got the quality for it. When you have a bad day, then you can be substituted. Everybody can be substituted.”

He also warned that "Mario Balotelli isn't a kid anymore, he's 23 years old, and he has to change" after a red card for insulting a referee early last season.

But he was also vocal in his defence of Balotelli when the striker's form was perceived to have dropped and once even claimed that Balotelli could become a club captain someday.

And although, Balotelli scored in Allegri's final league match in charge of Milan, he was yet another manager who was unable to get the best of Super Mario for long enough. 

 

Clarence Seedorf

Seedorf only spent a few months coaching Balotelli and was also unable to get the best out of the Italian on the pitch, even if seven goals in 16 Serie A matches under the Dutchman was not the worst return.

The ex-Milan manager was on the end of the striker's show of petulance in April, with Balotelli arguing with the Dutch legend on the sideline after being substituted in a 2 - 0 defeat to Roma.

Balotelli questioned the decision, but Seedorf made a point of playing it down in the media afterwards.

Dutch coach of AC Milan Clarence Seedorf speaks to his player Mario Balotelli (L) during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 25 April 2014. EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

Despite that minor clash, Seedorf tended to throw an arm around Balotelli's shoulder and after that match against Roma he made a point of defending his player, saying: "The media are not helping this lad grow. When I make criticism, it's constructive. It's not right only to focus on the negatives. Balotelli is doing a good job."

Seedorf's willingness to back Balotelli was said to have irked some of the other players in the Milan dressing room who were slowly turning against the manager's approach.

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