Italian striker Mario Balotelli had a very successful first season at OGC Nice, but his follow up year has started on the wrong foot. In fact, his coach blasted his performance against Napoli, in what could be considered as a bad omen for the controversial striker.
Speaking to the press after their 2-0 loss against the Partenopei, Nice coach Lucien Favre admitted that neither Wesley Sneijder nor Balotelli had proper outings, but ended up criticizing the Italian striker rather harshly.
"This came too soon for Wesley Sneijder but Mario Balotelli was not in the game. When you have one or two who do nothing on the pitch, it is impossible to beat anyone, even in Ligue 1," Favre stated.
Balotelli seemed to be off pace and was booed by Nice fans as he left the pitch.
But Favre went on about Balotelli, and even compared his performance with that of Knepe Ganago, the man who took his place on the pitch.
"You have to be honest. I should have taken him off sooner. He didn't run enough. He didn't give enough. We played better when we put in his place a youngster who nobody knows," the coach added.
Balotelli earned a lot of criticism from fans and French media due to his lackluster performance, which included arguing with the game's refs over a bandage while Napoli scored their first goal of the evening.
