Nice forward Valentin Eysseric questions Mario Balotelli's attitude

It would seem the honeymoon period is over for Mario Balotelli in Nice.

The Italian made an electrifying start to life with the Ligue 1 outfit, scoring seven goals in his first seven appearances and helping Nice reach the top of the pile.

But in his last 10 matches, Balotelli has been carded more times (four yellows, one red) than he has found the net (three goals). It was too good to be true, wasn't it?

The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker was benched in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne, a decision that wasn't met with disapproval from Balotelli's teammates.

"It's a week where there are three matches," Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien told L'Equipe. "I think he needed to take a breather for a bit."

Nice coach Lucien Favre's explanation for Balotelli's benching was even cloudier. Favre was quoted by RMC as saying the decision not to start the striker was "a feeling, an intuition."

THINGS ARE ALREADY STARTING TO TURN FOR BALOTELLI

Nice midfielder Valentin Eysseric has opened up more on Balotelli's current situation, and it's a pretty familiar story to the one heard during his spells in England.

Via AFP's London Sports Correspondent Tom Williams, Eysseric says the 26-year-old needs to "think a bit more collectively and work more for us."

Eysseric continued: "When [Balotelli] messes up, his head goes down and he grumbles. Sometimes it's difficult to talk to him.

"He clams up when things aren't perfect. It's a shame that he's like that and his head goes down."

It seems Balotelli will forever be held back by a questionable, unmotivated attitude.

BALOTELLI ONCE HAD TO BE TOLD TO CELEBRATE SCORING

Even when things go right for him, he rarely expresses his delight.

AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic admitted last year he had to tell Balotelli to celebrate scoring after he reacted to a goal against Alessandria with a typically reserved routine.

"I told Balotelli to celebrate when he scores a goal, but it is just not in his nature," Mihajlovic said, via FourFourTwo. "He is a good lad and he might seem as if he doesn't care, but that is not the case.

"It is like when you are with a woman and want to tell her you love her, but you can't say the words.

"I hope Mario will change this attitude because others think he looks angry and it is not helpful. Being a football player is the best job in the world."