Premier League 
/ Ralph Ellis / 09 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Roberto Mancini can't get to grips with 'problem' striker Mario Balotelli
"Roberto Mancini has done his best to handle a maverick whose self destructive tendencies were even beyond Jose Mourinho."
After Mario Balotelli's red card yesterday, and Wayne Rooney's extended run without a yellow card, Ralph Ellis makes a case for discipline being a vital factor in this season's title race.
To buy one brilliant but truculent striker might be considered bad luck; To get two borders on carelessness; To have signed three in the space of as many years means somebody at Manchester City simply doesn't learn his lessons.
Blame Mario Balotelli, as some have done this morning, for losing the Premier League title if you like. His red card in the final moments of the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal yesterday that left Manchester United with an eight point advantage at the top of the table was after all pretty damn stupid.
But has mad Mario really been any worse an influence on City's season than Carlos Tevez? At least Balotelli has been around to score 14 league goals in the 23 times he's been on the pitch. Is that better, or worse, than chucking your toys out of the pram and going home to Argentina for a three-month sulk on the golf course?
The real problem at Manchester City began back on September 1 2008 when the new owners chose to flaunt their wealth on the day they took over by hi-jacking Chelsea's move for Robinho, spending a £32.5million fee and paying him £160,000 a week. The Brazilian was meant to be the standard bearer for other top players to follow, instead he became the first of too many big egos who wanted to put their own interests ahead of the team. Did anybody responsible for City's recruitment learn the lesson? No. And that's why they've ended up where they are today.
Roberto Mancini has done his best to handle a maverick whose self destructive tendencies were even beyond Jose Mourinho. Now he's told the world that Balotelli will have to be sold in the summer - which is all very well but, just like with Tevez, they may find very limited the number of clubs willing to spend £25million or more and £200,000 a week on guaranteed trouble.
With money no object, perhaps City will simply solve their problems by signing Robin Van Persie. He clearly has his issues with Arsenal at the moment and is doing his level best to avoid signing a new contract. (Keep an eye on the Van Persie to stay) market in Betfair's Specials this summer). But in the meantime he has given his heart and soul to the club on the pitch, and set a superb captain's example. Arsenal, once in danger of failing to qualify for next year's Champions League, are now [1.53] to do it with a Top Three Finish.
Certainly Balotelli's antics have exposed Mancini's lack of experience at man management. Contrast with how Sir Alex Ferguson dealt many years ago with Eric Cantona, and more recently has thinned Wayne Rooney's red mist. Rooney's penalty against QPR yesterday has moved him just four goals behind Van Persie in the chase for the golden boot, and with six fairly benign fixtures left it's not too late to back him at [5.2] in the Top Goalscorer market.
Ferguson, right back to January 1995 when Cantona jumped into the crowd for his infamous kung-fu kick at a fan, has always found the way to harness maverick talent to the team. This year the statistic that Rooney has not been booked all season in a Manchester United shirt is probably as significant as the number of goals he has scored.
Newcastle's 2-0 win at Swansea on Friday evening was the first time I'd seen Papiss Cisse play live, and what struck me was not just the quality of his finishing for both goals, but the way he is already immersed in Alan Pardew's team ethic. The tactics demanded that he and Demba Ba took turns at playing the lone front role, and when it wasn't their go they had to fill in on the left to stop full back Angel Rangel getting forward. Cisse did the job without a murmur, and before today's home game with Bolton were [8.4] for a Top Four Finish.
Pardew has certainly spent well the £35million he got for Andy Carroll, whose nightmare at Anfield continued in a 1-1 draw with what looked like Aston Villa's youth team. Amazingly Liverpool, on a desperate run that has seen them win in 90 minutes only three of their last 12 games, are [2.38] favourites to beat Everton in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.
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