FORMER BARCELONA BOSS Johan Cruyff claims Mario Balotelli’s poor form at Liverpool stems from a lack of education.
Balotelli joined the Reds in a €20 million summer deal from AC Milan but has yet to score a Premier League goal, his two strikes thus far coming against Ludogorets in the Champions League and Swansea City in the League Cup.
His misfiring displays have led many to question the striker’s attitude, his languid style of play drawing criticism from fans and pundits alike, but Cruyff believes that Balotelli is not entirely at fault because he was not taught how to behave in his younger years.
“What I think about Balotelli as a player and as a man? We always talk about the person, I prefer to talk about education of the person,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Balotelli doesn’t behave well and we have to ask why.
“To me, if someone is not educated, he doesn’t play. To me, it is not fault of the player, but of the team that makes him play. The problem is not Mario, but the education that was given to him.
“If he had been educated in a certain way, he wouldn’t behave this way.”
