Italy coach Cesare Prandelli revealed on Monday that Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli has appealed to him for help to control his behaviour on the pitch.

Balotelli has been left out of the Azzurri squad for their upcoming games against Slovenia and Ukraine for breaking Prandelli's 'code of ethics' playing for his club.

Balotelli was shown a red card for a high tackle on Goran Popov in last week's Europa League match at Dynamo Kiev. It was the 20-year-old's second red card since his arrival in England and the fourth of his career.

And Prandelli said: "I spoke with Balotelli, he realised that he acted stupidly. He told me: 'I need help I always ruin everything'.

AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi was also left out of the games for the same reason, after being handed a three-game ban for punching Shakhtar Donetsk's Dario Srna in the Champions League.