The Italy international failed to deliver for the Rossoneri against
Atletico Madrid in midweek but the statistics underline that nobody
should have been in the least bit surprised.
At an Italian Football Federation press conference on Thursday, the
conversation, as it so often does, turned to Mario Balotelli’s state of
mind. FIGC president Giancarlo Abete was asked if the AC Milan striker’s
anonymity in Tuesday’s Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid was
further evidence of the forward’s much questioned mental maturity.
“I
do not think that at this moment the problem is related to his attitude
... the problem is related to the expectation of a greater contribution
in terms of his ability to affect the game.”
The implication was clear: Balotelli is buckling under the pressure.
Of
course, it may seem ludicrous to question the big-game temperament of a
player who struck two goals for Italy in an upset win over Germany in
the semi-finals of Euro 2012, particularly one who has so often
converted penalties with the nonchalance of someone enjoying a
kick-about with friends in the park.