Things looked to be going really well for Mario Balotelli over the Christmas period as, with Nice sitting on top of Ligue 1 and the Italian striker amongst the goals, he was mocking PSG on social media with a big smile on his face, but things have taken a turn and now he is facing some stern criticism from his own teammates.
Nice have slipped up in the title race due to a number of costly draws against the likes of Metz and Bastia, along with a 3-0 loss to league leaders Monaco, and another draw against Rennes at the weekend appeared to kill their hopes of pushing the top two all the way this season, despite coming from 2-0 down to secure the point.
Before that game, after the former Liverpool man was dropped for a midweek win against Saint Etienne, Nice midfielder Valentin Eysseric (who replaced him in the side) expressed his view that the mental aspect of Balotelli's game was holding him back from being an indispensable player.
When I see him miss a shot or not scoring, he lowers his head, grumbles and doesn’t want to talk. He goes into his corner and it’s a shame because he’s stronger than everyone, runs faster, is stronger, shoots harder. It’s a shame he’s like that and he lets his head drop.
We know he’s had a good career and we hear a lot about him, but I don’t think he’s got a bad frame of mind. It’s true that when he misses things he shuts up too much and it becomes difficult to talk to and advise him. That’s not my role.
He wants everything to be perfect and that’s not possible.
Esseryic started ahead of Balotelli again on Sunday, and went on to scored the equaliser late on, but speaking after the game he was asked to clarify his comments on his teammate for BeIn Sports, where he vented his frustration at the situation.
I'm sorry, but I was honest. I told the truth.
It is a shame he lets his head drop, you see him in training every day. He's such a great player.
I think he looks like he wants nothing to do with us. It's really disappointing. We could've really used his help in a game like this.
We know the coach demands enormous effort from his squad. He won't accept anyone taking their foot off the gas and you saw that with Mario Balotelli.
That in itself could serve as a summary of Balotelli's career. He's got all the physical attributes to be an unstoppable force, his technique is good enough to play at an elite level, yet when it comes to applying himself he comes up short time and time again.
It really did look like the lifestyle and culture of an area like Nice, where the spotlight wouldn't be on him every week, would give him a chance to focus on his football and get back to his best, but seemingly that has only lasted a few months.
Once again his teammates have had enough, and while there's still time to get back into the good books, he could, once again, be looking for a new place to play his football in the near future.
