AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini has attempted to quell speculation regarding Stephan El Shaarawy’s behavior after being substituted in Sunday’s match against Palermo.
The young striker was substituted out in the second half in favor of fellow youngster M’Baye Niang and promptly left the pitch instead of joining his teammates on the bench, prompting some criticism of his actions.
However, Flamini defended his teammate, stating to reporters after their victory over Palermo, “El Shaarawy angry? [No, it] was cold, [and] he went inside to take a shower.”
The French midfielder then turned his attention to the team’s success against Palermo following their Champions League defeat and their quest to finish in second place at the end of the season.
“Starting afresh after the Champions League [defeat] is never easy, but we did well. The team was very happy [and] the victory was important.
“[Regarding second place], the other teams do not interest me. We will have to pay attention to our games–there are nine of them [remaining].”
Flamini also expressed his thoughts on why the team has done much better since the start of the new year as opposed to their poor start in the beginning of the season.
“Now there is balance [and] the team works [well] together. That’s what makes the difference.”
Well, considering how he saved our hides on more than one occasion last year, the kid deserves to have an off-day every now and then. Pissed? Maybe–he hasn’t really been on fire these days like he was first half of the season, but he was probably just annoyed that he didn’t get enough time out there to prove himself. No one likes getting subbed, especially not when you’re the guy that’s played the most minutes in Serie A (according to a stat I saw somewhere)
Hopefully he rediscovers his goal scoring form and can form a great partnership with Balotelli.
Let’s give the guy a break. He had a great first half of the season. He needs to keep his head low and work harder.