Milan lost the first Derby della Madonnina of the 2015/16 season, going down 1-0 to city rivals Inter Milan in a riveting contest on Sunday evening. But despite the loss, there were positives for Milan to take from the game, one of which was the display of Mario Balotelli.

The mercurial striker has courted both criticism and controversy throughout his career thus far, something that prompted Milan to impose a special good behaviour clause upon the 25-year-old’s rejoining the club on loan from Liverpool.

However, while his wisdom has often been called into question, what hasn’t been in doubt is his technical ability. For many, he remains Italy’s best natural striker, and when fully motivated, he poses a threat to the most alert of back lines.

There was always the possibility that Balotelli’s signing was a risk worth taking, and his half-hour cameo from the substitute’s bench seemed to reinforce this stance.

While he failed to create or score a match-altering goal, he appeared determined to shape the game in his and Milan’s favour. It was refreshing to watch, especially when contrasting this newfound enthusiasm to how visibly forlorn he looked during his spell on Merseyside last season.

Five minutes prior to his re-emergence on the San Siro turf, Inter had taken the lead. Fredy Guarin’s brilliantly taken strike meant that Balotelli came on for his second Milan debut and met with a state of immediate adversity. He didn’t shrink from the occasion.

The first thing he did was step up to take a free-kick from a dangerous area on the right-hand side, adjacent to Inter’s penalty area. He whipped in a fizzing, accurate ball that panicked the Inter defence, who nonetheless managed to clear.

Those who had, perhaps understandably, sported a look of perplexity at Balotelli’s replacing Carlos Bacca on 62 minutes were immediately given hope. Evidently, Balotelli was in no mood to let anyone down, least of all himself.

On 75 minutes, he showed quick feet to skip beyond Davide Santon and Felipe Melo before providing a pullback from the byline. Minutes later, his jinking feet were on show once more when he sashayed past two players before unleashing a sharp finish from outside the box that was denied only by the left post.

Having already tantalised Inter’s defence on multiple occasions and come so close to equalising, Balotelli was playing with confidence. He won and subsequently took a free-kick on 82 minutes, finding the bottom-right corner with a low drive that was well-saved by Samir Handanovic.

His dribbling, delivery from set pieces and all-round attitude offered enough signs to suggest that he can be trusted with a starting spot in future, but what may have encouraged Milanisti—and Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic—even more was his temperament.

From the second he entered an arena filled with baying Inter supporters, Balotelli found himself the target of several openly malicious attempts at provocation. If Melo wasn’t mouthing sweet nothings to him, Guarin was trying to test out his shinpads. Balotelli did well to remain relatively composed and press on with trying to change the game.

According to WhoScored.com, Balotelli was Milan’s best player on the night with a rating of 7.34. In around 30 minutes of action he had more shots than Bacca had attempted in twice that time. He completed just as many dribbles as Bacca, and more than Luiz Adriano, who played the full game. He also attempted to set up his team-mates with many more crosses than either and made more key passes than Adriano.

Perhaps what is even more telling is that Balotelli was fouled more than Bacca or Adriano. Yes, he was more willing to go down, and yes, he was clearly being goaded by Inter’s players, but it nonetheless bought Milan valuable opportunities from set pieces in the final third.

It’s also worth noting that Balotelli did all this while up against an Inter defence that was clinging to a crucial lead. Bacca and Adriano had found plenty of space through the middle to exploit with their pace earlier on, but the environment in which Balotelli played was far different.

By the time he came on, Inter were more accepting of not having the ball and defended deeper than before. There, with a resolute defence in front of him, an opposition determined to force a reaction from him and a partisan Inter crowd jeering his every move, Balotelli thrived.

His substitute appearance was far from complete. He failed to score, and Milan lost. But the urgency, confidence and skill with which he played will give Mihajlovic a lot to think about when he next has to pick his starting lineup.

While Bacca and Adriano continue to settle in a new city, Balotelli—the returning lost soul of Italian football—has shown that he can be the man to give Milan’s attack some much-needed impetus.

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