Manchester City’s manager Roberto Mancini impressed by Mario Balotelli
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini saluted the newly-signed Italian striker Mario Balotelli. The player sent City off to the group stages of the UEFA Europa league.
The former Inter Milan man made his debut for City when he played against FC Timisoara in a Europa league play-off. Balotelli came on as a second half substitute, replacing Gareth Barry. The striker quickly paved his way into the loving hearts of Manchester City fans, as he scored the only goal of the game, granting the high spending club a 1-0 victory. It was, perhaps, a dream start for the 20-year-old, who just joined the Manchester club a week ago. Balotelli showed some real control when he had the ball at his feet. The Italian was magnificently set up by Emmanuel Adebayor, which saw the Italian right in front of goal. The young striker just couldn’t miss to make an instant impact, and shot the ball past goalkeeper Pantilimon from close range.
It was just the start the young Italian needed, following his last minute registration with UEFA on the deadline day. The player arrived to Eastlands last week from treble winners Inter Milan, for which City paid around £24million. The 20-year-old proved his worth to the Manchester-based club, as he scored his debut goal, making the manager extremely happy by the player’s performance. Mancini stated that Balotelli had a great debut to begin his career with, and he was delighted to see the player scoring. The manager commented that “Super Mario” is great player but still needs some minor improvements. The coach added that it would take some time for the Italian to really bend into the life of his new club, as this was the first match that he ever played with Man City.
The Italian footballer, however, showed signs of his former self at City, picking up a yellow card after losing his calm. The player was warned by the manager for not repeating such a feat, while playing for Premier League. The manager stated that things were now a different story for Mario and he should be watchful of his moves. Balotelli has spent his entire life in Italy and would therefore be needing guidance as to how he should play in England. Both the countries employ some distinct cultures, and Balotelli needs to be taught some lessons on that front.
"We must work on this with him because it will be different in the Premier League than in Italy," warned the Italian coach. Balotelli also needed some minor treatment following the end of the contest but would be available to feature in the Liverpool match on Monday. The coach confirmed that it was a minor knock and not a serious problem. There was no issue and the player would be up and running in time for the Liverpool game.
City spent some enormous amount of cash this season, but their money was put to great value in the second half. Former Barcelonan man Yaya Toure took an audacious shot from outside the box, only to be denied by the pole. The manager claimed that the opponents were a great team and outplayed City in the first half. However, in the end City triumphed, which radically improved the teams standings. The manager hailed his entire squad for the performance in the second half and admitted that the players moved the ball quickly. Things changed when young Adam Johnson came on and the manager pointed out that England international had a quick and positive impact on the game.
Roberto Mancini believes that his side deserved at least one more goal, as they made a couple of decent chances, only to be wasted. Since the match is two legged one, which would see City hosting FC Timisoara at home next week, the manager states that there is a lot of work that is needs to be done for the coming next week.
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