Mario Balotelli: Why Man City Striker Is Worth Italy's Patience

Mario Balotelli took centre stage in Italy’s Euro 2012 encounter with Spain by enduring an afternoon of frustration and wasted potential.

According to a Yahoo! Sports article, the enigmatic Manchester City striker had previously promised Cesare Prandelli that he would repay the patience that the Italy coach had shown in him and worked hard for the 55 minutes he played.

Despite a promising work rate, however, there were traces of the unpredictable striker that Jose Mourinho lost patience with at Inter Milan.  

A first-half booking for a foul on Jordi Alba left the 21-year-old striker walking a tightrope, despite a promising start to the game. Two minutes earlier Balotelli had committed a similar foul on Gerard Pique.

Shortly after the start to the second half, Balotelli was gifted the opportunity to put Italy ahead of the world champions after he robbed Sergio Ramos of possession wide on the right before bursting towards goal. He subsequently hesitated long enough to allow the Real Madrid defender back in whilst one-on-one with Iker Casillas.

It turned out to be Balotelli’s last act of the game. Moments later, Prandelli hauled him off in favour of Antonio Di Natale.

The Udinese striker scored in his first contribution to the game, personifying the frustration of Balotelli’s performance against the World Champions.

The impressive performance of Di Natale, combined with a promising performance from Antonio Cassano, will naturally lead to suggestions that Balotelli should not start against Croatia on June 14.  

It would, however, be to Italy’s benefit if they remained patient with their enigmatic striker.

Although Balotelli’s endeavours proved fruitless against Spain, there is evidence to suggest that he is linking up well with his Italian teammates.

Within the first 10 minutes, Balotelli linked up well with Antonio Cassano before attempting a difficult shot from range.

Shortly after, a well-rehearsed dummy wrong-footed Iker Casillas, allowing Andrea Pirlo to get his free kick on target and forcing a composed save from the Real Madrid shot-stopper.

He battled hard for his team up front, and although he earned a yellow card for mistimed tackles on Pique and Alba within two minutes of each other, the tackles he attempted were not as aggressive as fans have seen in the past.

He clearly wanted to be involved in the game, something that Manchester City fans may feel he is not always prepared to do when playing for the Citizens.

Former England defender Danny Mills seemed impressed with the striker’s performance and suggested that Balotelli was more a victim of misfortune than erraticism.

"Mario Balotelli has been unfortunate a couple of times. He's chasing lost causes and one or twice the referee's whistles have been harsh. We do know Balotelli. He is talented, but he can get frustrated,” Mills said.

The Croatia game will provide Balotelli with an opportunity to play more of the same, against a back four that is considerably weaker to that of Spain’s.

Di Natale has remained coy about his own aspirations to start against Croatia.

"I'm ready to play any time the coach asks me to," Di Natale said. "He makes the choices, then it's up to me not to disappoint him."

"We talk every day, and we always try to give each other a hand," Di Natale said, who received an affectionate congratulatory embrace from Balotelli after the match.

Di Natale has scored 80 Serie A goals for Udinese in the past three seasons alone, a tally that eclipses Balotelli’s tally of 19 goals in five season’s playing for Manchester City and Inter Milan.

This, combined with his goal against Spain, makes a legitimate case for Di Natale to start ahead of Balotelli, but it would be the wrong decision.

Di Natale is 34 years of age and will struggle to play more than 60 minutes of international football following a busy domestic campaign.

Balotelli is younger, fresher and stronger than his rival strike partner. There is more to the Manchester City striker’s game than the poaching role that Di Natale has perfected. Italy needs Balotelli up front, fighting for possession and using his physical attributes to dominate defenders.

Prior to the beginning of the tournament, Balotelli thanked Prandelli for the faith he has placed in him.

"The coach has shown great faith in me, he has waited for me and I can't wait for the chance to repay him. The Euro is the chance of my lifetime," he said.

The 21-year-old’s performance against Spain was not poor and evidence suggests that he was trying to make his statement a reality.  If he was dropped now, then Prandelli’s patient approach would have been pointless.

Balotelli has vowed to improve. "I won't leave the team with 10 men," he said. “I want to give the image of a player who enjoys himself and entertains, as well as that of a successful player in a winning team.

"I'm young, and it's normal to have highs and lows, but I hope to do better for the national team."