Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has claimed that Mario Balotelli needs to change after he was sent off in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The striker was lucky to stay on the pitch after the opening 10 minutes when he caught Alex Song with a nasty-looking challenge on the shin.
However, the 21-year-old was given his marching orders in the final minutes when he picked up his second yellow card for a tackle on Bacary Sagna.
"From the bench I didn't see the first tackle but now I have seen it and Mario deserved a red card after 10 minutes," Mancini told Sky Sports News. "But it took until the last few minutes for him to get sent off. I am very sorry for him. I don't have any words for his behaviour.
"I love him, he is a fantastic player, I love him as a guy but he needs to change or he can lose everything. I am disappointed in him. He is young and he continues to make mistakes."
Despite falling eight points behind leaders Manchester United with the loss at the Emirates Stadium, Mancini insists that his side still has a slim chance of winning the title.
"In football, it is never finished until it is over," he added. "For this reason I always believe that we can do it. We have had a fantastic season and we need to finish well.
"In the last month we have had problems with injuries but we need to improve more. For 28 or 29 games we did well but there are 18 points to play for. Never say never."
The Blues will now turn their attention to the visit of West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Jack Prescott
