On a hotel terrace in Rio de Janeiro, Fabio Capello was asked for his opinion on the state of Italy’s team. Then the England manager, the Italian shook his head before expressing what a pity it was that their brightest young player was such a troublesome individual. Capello appeared to see it as something of a national tragedy, and something that would undermine Italy’s chances of success there in Brazil three years later. Mario Balotelli was 21 at the time, and younger still when Jose Mourinho all but wrote him off too. The precociously gifted striker, Mourinho had concluded in their time together at Inter Milan, was ‘unmanageable’.
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Mario Balotelli has struggled for form since moving to Anfield
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Liverpool frontman has scored twice but is yet to net in Premier League
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Reds boss Brendan Rodgers will be doing his best to make Balotelli a success on Merseyside
@placeholder’s behaviour has exposed not only a lack of maturity but a lack of judgement.