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De Jong slams Man City team mate Balotelli

04 April 2012 - 07:50

Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong slammed Mario Balotelli for his off-the-field antics, but also praised the Italian for his moments of "genius". The striker has been embroiled in off the field problems in recent months, and manager Roberto Mancini is appearing to lose confidence in the Italian striker.

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"Sometimes Mario is a fool and at other times he is a genius - there are two sides to him," De Jong said. "Lots of people expect him to pull off crazy stunts and as a result he feels he must do something. People like that need to have upheaval in their lives in order to perform.<br />

"He is happy in his personal relationship. That is important and it makes him more focused. But he knows that he has to become more serious-minded."

Written by Samuel Turnbull