Balotelli is available for selection after serving his suspension, can the madcap Italian make up for his misdemeanours?
Mario Balotelli, derided as ‘unmanageable’ by former boss Jose Mourinho, did his best to live up that reputation in his last two games for City, infuriating his teammates and fans against Sunderland and Arsenal.
As it turns out, Balotelli’s red card at the Emirates may just have saved City’s season.
Free from his distraction, City have won three out of three, scoring 12 goals in the process.
Carlos Tevez has come into the side in place of Balotelli, and Mancini has struck gold.
City have seemed more unified without him, there are no arguments over who should take a free-kick, and no divisions.
Balotelli could have won the game at Arsenal, missing two clear chances, but his red card and City’s loss seems to only have brought the squad closer together.
City were heavily criticised after the defeat from all corners, their players even taking personal abuse from self-proclaimed number one Arsenal fan Piers Morgan.
All of that seemed to unify the squad, and along with Manchester United’s complacency which led to them dropping points, the moment seems to have transformed City’s season for the better.
Now he has returned from suspension, serving his three-match ban, and could be involved against Manchester United.
Does he deserve to play a part? Does Mancini risk unsettling his squad by bringing him back in?
We say yes, he is worth the risk.
Balotelli is a match winner, and fortune favours the brave. Forget Mancini’s pledge he would not play again this season, he has already indicated he will play some part against United.
He scored twice against City’s rivals at Old Trafford this season, unveiling his now infamous ‘Why Always Me’ T-shirt, and the way the unpredictable title race has unfolded, you can just see him coming off the bench to score City’s winning goal.
City need to beat United, and they may as well go for it, and that means using all the weapons at their disposal, including the at times self-imploding grenade that is Balotelli.
He may have inadvertently saved their season with his sending off, may be he can go one better by firing them to the title?
If you were Mancini would you bring ‘mad Mario’ back?
image: © wonker
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