Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admits Mario Balotelli doesn't listen to him - and he doesn't care

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admits Mario Balotelli doesn’t listen to him - and he doesn't care

Roberto Mancini admits Mario Balotelli doesn’t listen to his advice – but the Manchester City manager insists he doesn’t mind as long as his young striker keeps on scoring.

Sound of silence: Roberto Mancini's words of advice fall on deaf ears where Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is concerned Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By telegraph staff and agencies 8:00AM GMT 04 Mar 2011

With the Kolo Toure suspension drawing unwanted attention on his squad, Mancini must now try and focus his side on tomorrow’s Premier League encounter with Wigan.

That could mean another opportunity for the unpredictable Balotelli, who has drawn a degree of negative press himself since moving to England from Inter Milan.

As his former coach at the San Siro, Mancini might have been expected to know what he was getting when he spent £24 million on the 20-year-old.

However, any thoughts the pair have a special relationship can quickly be dismissed.

‘’He is not listening to me,’’ said Mancini. ‘’I speak but I don’t think he listens.’’

The Manchester City manager was talking about his demand for Balotelli to become more industrious and not rest on his laurels after scoring, as he did against Fulham last week.

It did appear the message got home ahead of Balotelli’s performance against Aston Villa in midweek, when he was deployed as a lone striker and responded with a far more rounded display in addition to scoring his 10th goal of the season.

But the drive and determination come from within rather than any external force if Mancini is to be believed, and the Italian coach is happy for that to continue if it helps Balotelli realise his enormous potential.

‘’It is not important that he doesn’t listen to me,’’ he said.

‘’What is important is that he does well, that he scores.

‘’But I know he can do better because I know his quality. He can change every game if he wants. He could score in every game.

‘’I hope, for him and us, he can understand this very quickly.’’

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