The former French international has stated that he has been staying in touch with Mario Balotelli and conceded that he felt Italy would not make it to quarter-finals.
The former Arsenal skipper has stated that he has been in touch with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mario-Balotelli-c23937 recently, and stated that he had congratulated the Manchester City star on the brilliant goal he scored against the Republic of Ireland in a must win match for the Italians.
He affirmed that Balotelli was happy with his contribution to the Azzurri cause, but went on to state that the volatile striker needs to be mentally prepared to tackle http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Terry-c18895, as he already knows the strengths and weaknesses of the
two players.
The Manchester City director went on to state that the striker needs to maintain his composure during the match to exploit lapses in concentration by the two defenders. He went on to praise the player for his performance against Spain, and stated that he
worked harder in the national shirt than he did in the Blues of Manchester City. He went on to state:
“Mario worked for the team against Spain, better than he usually does in Manchester, and above all did his duty off the ball. It’s what http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mancini-c23323 asks of him, though I don’t know if he has more faith or more patience with Mario...”
The Senegalese-descent Frenchman went on to state that the tie between http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Italy-c2926 would be the most unpredictable as well as the most balanced match on the day, and he also went on to state that the match could go on to penalties.
Italy were up against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 legend admitted that he felt la Nazionale would not be able to qualify from their group. He also went on to state that he was taken aback
by their tenacity despite their relative lack of strength, and remarked:
“I will confess, I thought they’d go out in the first round. Instead, I saw a real team that has the character and mentality to play together. That’s what you need for a tournament like this.”
The Azzurri will be facing off the English on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
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