Father Christmas does not need to see Mario Balotelli while he's sleeping to know he has been a naughty boy.
All he has to do is get one of his elves to pick up the paper. For a footballer who hogs the headlines to the extent that Balotelli does, his on-pitch statistics this season are pretty poor.
In 13 league matches he has scored only once, with double the number of bookings. This was not what was expected from the Italian after impressing against Germany at the Euros.
There has never been a question mark over his potential and many believed that the 22-year-old had finally turned over new leaf.
But in terms of behaviour he has regressed back to his old self. And with no New Year resolution on the horizon, it really should be arrivaderci when the transfer window opens.
Final straw
Balotelli’s list of misdemeanours are too lengthy to list here, but the final straw should have come this week when he almost took Manchester City to a Premier League tribunal over a €400,000 fine.
City had handed him the fine because he had missed one-fifth of the club’s matches last season due to suspension.
Yet his manager Roberto Mancini still thinks he can change him, tame him and get the best out of him.
This week, Mancini suggested that he would give Balotelli yet another chance after dropping him for a perceived poor attitude in training.
But in all honesty, Manchester City cannot afford to indulge the controversial star when there are trophies to be chased.
And it is all the more important when there are strikers of the calibre of Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez in the squad.
Whenever Tevez and Aguero have played together this season, City have won. Understandably Mancini would like to have a target man to play alongside one of the Argentines from time to time.
But that target man does not have to be Balotelli.
When the going has got tough this season, Dzeko has delivered scoring six times, including the winner against Tottenham and Fulham.
Yet Mancini started Balotelli ahead of the Bosnian in the most crucial league game of the season – the Manchester derby.
In last season’s first derby meeting, Balotelli was instrumental in a famous 6 – 1 over United.
But based on current form, Dzeko was more deserving of a start.
Of course it is admirable that Mancini wants to help his young compatriot but if it continues to cost the team crucial points, then it is high time that he cuts his losses especially with AC Milan interested in Super Mario’s signature.
