Smile like you mean it, Mancini tells Mario

ROBERTO MANCINI has called on Mario Balotelli to replace his scowl with a smile.

Even when he has performed at the level anticipated from a player who was this week crowned Tuttosport’s ‘Golden Boy’, an award previously collected by Lionel Messi, the Manchester City striker rarely looks happy with life.

It is a trait Mancini feels the 20-year-old must get rid of if he is to secure star status amongst the City support.

“You need to smile to play football,” said Mancini. “That is the best thing you can do and Mario must improve in this situation.”

Balotelli clearly has a high opinion of himself.

In dismissing Jack Wilshere as “Jack who” as he assessed the man who finished runner-up in the coveted prize, Balotelli claimed that the only previous winner of the award — a list that includes Rafael van der Vaart, Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas — that is ‘slightly’ better than him is Messi.

Mancini does not have a problem with such ultra-high confidence. But he does feel it would be better if Balotelli was matching his words with actions on a regular basis.

“It is good when a player has confidence in himself,” he said.

“Mario Balotelli has everything you need to be one of the best players in the world.

“But he must improve and he must show it. Only if you play well in every game can you say these things. It depends on him.

“The Premier League is so different from the Italian league. Mario must understand. If he thinks what he says he must show it in every game.”

In fact, such was Balotelli’s insignificant contribution to Monday’s home defeat by Everton, which cost City their chance to top the Premier League on Christmas Day for the first time in 81 years, that it would be no surprise if the Italy forward found himself back on the bench for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle.

Mancini will have to find some room given Nigel de Jong is available after serving a one-match ban for picking up five bookings.

That fifth caution — at West Ham — was one of only three the Dutchman has collected since his controversial appearance against Newcastle at Eastlands in October.

On that day, De Jong received heavy condemnation for a tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa that left the striker with a broken leg, but which went unpunished by referee Martin Atkinson, who chose not to have the matter investigated again by the Football Association.

With more money than all their rivals to make changes during the transfer window, City appear well placed to mount a serious title challenge despite this week’s slip-up.

It seems unlikely Mancini will accept defeat quite so easily after Wolfsburg put a prohibitive £35million pricetag on striker Edin Dzeko.

Emmanuel Adebayor’s likely departure leaves a vacancy to be filled, even if Mancini’s tendency to utilise Carlos Tevez as a lone front-man does not obviously warrant an additional forward.