Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Mario Balotelli's disruptive behaviour is due to a lack of education, claims former Ajax and Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff.
Liverpool striker Balotelli has been a magnet for controversy during his career, spanning his spells with Inter and AC Milan, Manchester City and now at Anfield.
With the 25-year-old struggling on the pitch since his £16m move to Liverpool, with his search for a Premier League still on going, attention has quickly turned to scrutinising his attitude and behaviour.
The latest person to offer a view on the Italian, who is currently with the national team, is Dutch great Cruyff who believes it is Balotelli's education rather than the player himself that is the cause of his problems.
"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.
Johan Cruyff (Getty Images) Cruyff continued: "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."
Show all 24 1 /24Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Simon Mignolet Unlucky to be beaten by Cahill’s effort as his defence failed to clear – saved well from Hazard on a couple of occasions. 7
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Glen Johnson Did well to foil Hazard on two occasions in the first-half as careless play from the Liverpool midfield left their defence exposed. 7
AP
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Martin Skrtel – Intriguing battle with Diego Costa – gave as good as he got but will ultimately feel he lost out as the Spaniard struck Chelsea’s winner. 6
PA
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Dejan Lovren Perhaps a little fortunate to return to the side after the fine performance of Kolo Toure against Real Madrid – was generally a spectator to the battle between Skrtel and Costa. 5
Reuters
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Alberto Moreno Struggled to cope with the double-threat of Ramires and Ivanovic but stuck to his task well despite being put under a lot of pressure. 6
AP
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Emre Can Got Liverpool off to a flyer with his deflected effort – a solid performance all round. 7
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Steven Gerrard A solid but unspectacular performance from the Liverpool skipper – continues to fail to impact games as much as he would like to. 5
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Jordan Henderson Perhaps suffering from burn out having been heavily relied upon in the opening months of the season – like his captain was overshadowed by Matic and Fabregas. 5
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Philippe Coutinho Another industrious performance from the small Brazilian but he’ll be disappointed with how easily he was beaten by Azpilicueta for Chelsea’s second. 5
PA
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Raheem Sterling A better performance from the youngster who seemed to benefit from his midweek rest – caused Chelsea and Ivanovic in particular a lot of problems down the left flank. 7
Reuters
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Mario Balotelli Hard-working performance but again lacked any real quality in the final third. 5
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings From the bench: Joe Allen Made a couple of good surges forward but was unable to help his side equalise. 5
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Thibaut Courtois Commanding performance from the Blues stopper – his ability to effortlessly pluck the ball out of the air takes so much pressure of his defence. 7
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Branislav Ivanovic Looked a little vulnerable up against the pace of Raheem Sterling but provided his usual threat going forward down the right, particularly in tandem with Ramires during the first half. 6
PA
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Gary Cahill A lively day for the England centre-back – he deflected Can’s shot into his own goal before equalising for Chelsea just five minutes later. Defended well but was fortunate not to concede a penalty for a late hand-ball. 6
PA
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings John Terry Commanding performance from the Chelsea captain – made number of vital blocks and headed clearances. 7
AFP/Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta Chosen by Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville as the best defender in the Premier League – the Spaniard lived up to his billing with a typically impeccable defensive play crowned with the assist for Costa’s winner. 8
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Nemanja Matic By far the most impressive of the central midfielders on display – dominated the middle of the pitch and gained possession for his side on countless occasions before starting attacks. 8
AFP/Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Cesc Fabregas Not his finest display this season – was exposed a few times defensively but and didn’t enjoy quite as much time on the ball as usual as Chelsea played more on the counter-attack. 6
AFP/Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Ramires Made a strong contribution on his return to the Chelsea starting XI – showed he can still be counted on to perform in big games. 7
PA
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Oscar Continues to cause all sorts of problems for the opposition in tandem with Eden Hazard – the pair are developing a near-telepathic understanding. 6
Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Eden Hazard Almost impossible to stop once he’s up and running – will be relieved that the chances he fluffed in the first half didn’t cost Chelsea on this occasion. 6
AFP/Getty Images
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings Diego Costa Although Drogba has done a good job in his absence, Chelsea are a different animal with this man up front – he got one good chance and rifled it into the net under pressure. 7
AP
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2 - player ratings From the bench: Willian Replaced Ramires soon after half-time and gave a typically disciplined performance – helped to protect Ivanovic from Sterling. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Balotelli's upbringing has been well documented, with the striker being taken into foster care at a very young age.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies