'Balotelli would do better at Juve'

Milan legend Paolo Maldini says he believes Mario Balotelli would be putting in better performances if he played for Juventus.

The 23-year-old has been heavily criticised recently but the Rossoneri legend blames a lack of long-term strategy and infrastructure at San Siro as the main factor behind his sub-par displays.

“Balotelli is still not a champion,” Maldini said in part of an in depth interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

“It is the same with Pato. Until the day they manage to carry the team on their shoulders for the full 90 minutes that will remain the same."

“I don’t know for sure, but I have the impression that if Balotelli went to Juve, a team with clear ideas, a great Coach and a core group of Italian players his game would go up another level."

“Because of this I believe it’s wrong to put all the blame on his shoulders."

“He is not the saviour of the country."

“The league table reflects how good performances have been."

“I haven’t spoken to anyone about the current problems and I don’t listen much to rumours but the team is going through a strange situation."

“The group is clearly not happy and there is an anxiety about them."

“The performances are then affected by this and there are other players who are less involved in things because maybe they already know they will be leaving."

The 45-year-old was then asked about how long it would take to make Milan competitive once more.

“It depends on their targets,” he said. “I don’t think the fans just want a winning Milan."

“They want to see a project going on as well.”