Source: Team_Talk
Mancini: Balotelli has big future
Roberto Mancini says Mario Balotelli has all the attributes to become one of the world's top strikers - if he can just keep his mind focused.[LNB] The Manchester City striker has only been in England for just over a year, yet he has already managed to get himself involved in more scrapes than most players endure in an entire career.[LNB]It has led to a perception of Balotelli being hard to handle as well as talented, an assessment James Milner thinks is "pretty accurate".[LNB]However, since infuriating his manager with his showboating antics during a pre-season game with Los Angeles Galaxy, the 21-year-old has avoided negative headlines.[LNB]As Mancini noted, on Saturday he even managed a smile as he celebrated opening the scoring in a hard-fought 2-0 win against Everton at the Etihad Stadium.[LNB]And, though he misses Tuesday's trip to Bayern Munich, a legacy of the four-match ban he received for his dismissal in a Europa League tie with Dynamo Kiev in March, when Mancini branded the forward "stupid", it seems Balotelli is now starting to concentrate on the fundamentals of his career.[LNB]"With Mario it is never easy," laughed Mancini.[LNB]"But we keep in our mind that Mario is young, and young guys can have different behaviour.[LNB]"I know him very well. I know he is a fantastic guy.[LNB]"I want him to work well all the time, in every training session and every match because this year he could be an important player for us.[LNB]"He has everything. He has the technical ability. He is strong. He shoots very well. He can score with his head.[LNB]"He needs time but he can become one of the top players."[LNB]Balotelli's pivotal contribution to a victory that was sealed by fellow substitute Milner in the final minute justified Mancini's decision to introduce the Italian ahead of Carlos Tevez, who remained on the bench throughout.[LNB]It was also testament to the less obvious battling qualities of a City team who were forced to overcome some stoic Everton defending, including David Moyes' decision to deploy Jack Rodwell in a man-to-man marking role on David Silva.[LNB]"In Italy we marked like this 20 years ago," said Mancini.[LNB]"When we met a team who had an important player who could change a match, this was be normal. And David Silva is an important player."[LNB]The Spain star did not have a problem with Rodwell's attentions.[LNB]"I don't know about it being a compliment," he shrugged.[LNB]"That is the way they decided to play and we tried to deal with it.[LNB]"It was a new and valuable experience for me because it has never happened before."[LNB]For once, Manchester United did not eclipse City's result immediately afterwards, so now all that separates the two clubs is goal difference.[LNB]The Manchester rivalry will be set aside this week though, as City head to Munich for a Champions League game that confirms their newly-found status; an English opponent against the four-times European Cup winners Bayern.[LNB]"There are similarities and differences," said Milner.[LNB]"You are playing against different styles when you play European football.[LNB]"The Premier League is very fast. Europe is slower and you probably see more fouls.[LNB]"It is something you might not be used to if you have only played in the Premier League.[LNB]"Luckily we have a really good squad of players who have played European or international football, which obviously helps that transition."[LNB]Although some fans were disappointed by an opening night draw against Napoli a fortnight ago, providing City avoid defeat in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, their debut in the competition will have got off to a solid start.[LNB]Defeat would give them a problem though, especially if there was a positive result in Napoli's encounter with Villarreal.[LNB]However, Milner does not want to look too far into the future.[LNB]"Tuesday is a big game," he said.[LNB]"Four points would be a lot different to getting another draw or a defeat, so this game could shape the group.[LNB]"But there are a lot of games to play. It doesn't seem many but there are still 15 points to play for.[LNB]"Ten gets you qualified more often than not so we will just take it a game at a time.[LNB]"They are all tough games but we are more than ready for it."
