Mario repents after horror tackle

MARIO BALOTELLI has apologised to his Manchester City team-mates for his red card in Thursday’s Europa League encounter with Dynamo Kiev at Eastlands.

Manager Roberto Mancini branded Balotelli “stupid” for the dismissal, after he planted his studs into the chest and thigh of Dynamo defender Goran Popov.

Mancini felt the 36th-minute dismissal cost his side their chance of reaching the last eight and last night Balotelli expressed his regret.

“I am very sorry to my team-mates in particular that I got sent off so early in such an important game,” said Balotelli.

“I was trying my best for the team as I always do,. The ball was in the air and I went for it with my foot high.

“I never tried to make contact with Popov and I certainly didn’t want to hurt him. In retrospect, however, the tackle was poor. I should have showed more consideration but I was so involved in the game.

“It was not a good way to repay the manager who has shown so much faith in me or the owners and fans who have made me so welcome since I arrived from Italy.

“I hope they forgive me and see that I want success with Manchester City.”

Balotelli’s team-mate Nigel de Jong now fears Balotelli will become a marked man because of his petulant behaviour.

De Jong said: “Tomorrow is a new day and I am sure we are going to sit down with Mario. He has got to realise he has to change how he plays because he is always going to be a marked man. He knows that.

“We have to continue with him as well. He has a lot of potential, the skill he shows at times is unbelievable.

“He is a talented boy and maybe you do not intend to let your team down with those sort of things. But I told him as well you have got to learn from your mistakes.

“We are there to help him, not to criticise him or blast him away. He has experienced guys around him and has to listen to them.

“After the game he was angry and he was disappointed. Sometimes you make mistakes and Mario made his mistake. But he will get everything straight again.”

De Jong does not think there will be any hangover from the Europa exit when they face Chelsea.

“It is a big challenge as is every game from now on because we are coming to the end of the season,” said the Dutch international.

“Everyone is trying for those places in the top four and we are big rivals with Chelsea. It is going to be a big test again but we will go there with 100% confidence.”

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba has revealed he will hold talks with Chelsea about his future at the end of the season.

Speculation about Drogba has been rife since the arrival of Fernando Torres, which was believed by some to herald the beginning of the end of the Ivorian’s six-and-a-half-year Stamford Bridge career.

The 33-year-old’s contract expires next year and it is unclear whether he or Chelsea intend to extend it.

“It will be very interesting to see what happens in May,” Drogba said.

“Then we can sit and speak about it and have a coffee.”

The £50million signing of Torres saw Drogba lose his automatic place in the side, while he has also struggled to strike up an understanding with his new team-mate when they have played together.

Drogba admitted initially struggling to accept no longer being top dog, but insisted he quickly came to accept manager Carlo Ancelotti’s policy of rotating his forwards.

“It wasn’t easy the first week but that’s normal,” he said. “Today, I know that we’re doing this for the best of the team. The team is more competitive.

“Everybody talks a lot about my future but I’m enjoying it and I’m happy to be here.”

It was Torres’ turn to be rotated in Wednesday night’s Champions League last-16 second leg against FC Copenhagen, with Drogba starting alongside Nicolas Anelka.

“We have a lot of strikers but I can’t complain, I’m not the only one,” said Drogba. “Salomon Kalou is not playing, (Florent) Malouda is not playing, sometimes Anelka, sometimes me, Nando. I think it’s good for the team. A team like Chelsea must have a lot of players to achieve a lot in a year.”