Mihajlovic defends Balotelli attitude

Fiorentina coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has defended fiery striker Mario Balotelli after the Italian continued his shocking disciplinary run.

Balotelli was sent off as Manchester City were bundled out of the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev on Thursday, making it the 12th time this season he has received a card since arriving at Eastlands in August.

But Mihajlovic, who coached Balotelli at Inter Milan, defended the 20-year-old’s attitude and said he would learn to control his temper as he got older.

“I’ve known him since he started training with me and from the beginning it was clear that he didn’t have much respect for the others. This should be understood as a positive aspect,” Mihajlovic said.

“When he trained with us, he always reacted to the others’ actions and has never let others walk over him.”

“Balotelli’s temper is also his strength. He should soften a bit his temper, but it’s normal: when I was 20 years old, I was different than now.”

“You get better when you grow up and your behaviour on the pitch changes and improves as well.”