City midfielder Nigel de Jong In a Dutch magazine interview, after a season of madcap incidents said: “Mario is lucky that we have an Italian manager and that Roberto Mancini speaks the same language.
“Without Mancini, Mario would have gone completely off the rails a long time ago.
“Mario reacts too much to all the people around him.
“Lots of people expect him to do the most ridiculous stunts. This is why there is something in his body or mind that tells him he has to fulfill those expectations.
“He’s thinking all day, ‘I have to do something.’
“Sometimes Mario is a fool, sometimes he is a genius. There are two sides to his character.”
“Some players need that buzz around them to perform on the pitch.
“Mario is trying to find the balance in his life. He knows he has to become more serious as a player.
“But like I say, it is good that we have an Italian manager.”
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