Former Italian national team boss Cesare Prandelli has claimed that Italy striker Mario Balotelli should look at himself for being a major disappointment at the World Cup 2014. Due to the lack of fitness from the likes of Giuseppe Rossi, Balotelli went to the World Cup as the main striker for the Italians. He started the tournament in excellent fashion after scoring in the opening match against England. Since then, however, his performances have gone down the way in the last group matches. This ultimately saw Italy get knocked out of the tournament at the group stages.

After the disappointing result, Prandelli decided to step down from his post. Regarded as one of the finest in managers in world football, Prandelli has been credited with reviving the Italian national team. After an embarrassing World Cup 2010, Italy reached the final of the Euro 2012 largely because of Prandelli bringing in new players into the team. One of those players was Balotelli, but the former Fiorentina boss was left badly down by the AC Milan striker. Prandelli has since taken over that Turkish club Galatasaray in order to replace Roberto Mancini.

He has taken one final hit at Balotelli by saying that the 23-year-old should concentrate on getting back into the world since he appears to live outside reality. Balotelli still is seen as a player who can achieve a lot in the game.
“Balotelli is fundamentally a good guy. He is not a bad person. But he lives in a place that is far away from reality. That doesn’t mean anything. He is only 24 years old and has the possibility to build on this experience,” said Prandelli. Galatasaray failed to win the Turkish league last season. This will be one of the main objectives for Prandelli, as he looks to shape up the squad.