Mourinho sanctions Balotelli for his own good

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has ordered striker Mario Balotelli to train with the youth team, and excluded him from the Nerazzurri’s Saturday game against Lazio in the Serie A.

كتب : Sherif Tarek

الجمعة، 05 ديسمبر 2008 - 21:26
Mourinho
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has ordered striker Mario Balotelli to train with the youth team, and excluded him from the Nerazzurri's Saturday game against Lazio in the Serie A.

The Portuguese tactician decided to impose a punishment on the Italian youngster for not exerting enough efforts in the pre-match training.

The 18-year-old starlet was also omitted from the Italian champions' squad in the pervious match against Napoli.

"I think that at the age of 18 a player needs to be taught lessons and he should interpret them in a constructive way," Jose was quoted by Calcio Italia as saying.

"I haven't chosen him in my squad again and he will play with the youth team tomorrow. That will be important to allow him to understand the difference between that level and Serie A."

The 45-year-old boss alluded that Balotelli could get back to the first team should he show enough discipline.

"As a Coach I am always open to changing my mind and he could even play against Werder Bremen on Tuesday," he said.

"I really like Mario but I want him to achieve what he is capable of. It's not enough for him to become an average player because he is able to do so much more."

The former Chelsea manager assured that talent on its own is not enough for footballers to pull it off.

"I was happy to hear Javier Zanetti and Hernan Crespo say that talent isn't enough on it's own - that's important," Mourinho explained.

On the other hand, out-of-favor Ricardo Quaresma has been named to the squad, but the special one snubs Brazilian forward Adriano.

Mourinho acclaimed his compatriot midfielder for his commitment to training.

"Quaresma has been selected because he trained very well," he said.

However, he said that the 26-year-old striker is unfit to feature in the next match.

"Adriano has been out for two days with illness and isn't in the right condition. He only worked today and that isn't much, but I think he will play on Tuesday," he added.