Manchester City unrest reports are 'rubbish' says Roberto Mancini

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini today had a one-word response to speculation that his players want him replaced.

Asked about reports of players being unhappy following consecutive defeats, Mancini simply told Sky Sports News: "Rubbish".

Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Wolves left City fourth in the Barclays Premier League, eight points behind leaders Chelsea.

Defender Kolo Toure admitted both the players and Mancini had their say following the defeat at Molineux, but denied there were rifts in the camp.

"No, not at all," said Toure, who saw team-mates Vincent Kompany and Emmanuel Adebayor have a heated argument during the Wolves game.

"We are a team and in any team there are problems. But the important thing is to try to resolve them in the dressing room and the training camp."

Toure believes the players need to take responsibility and ease the pressure on Mancini.

"We need to take more responsibility. When you play for one of the richest clubs in the world, you just need to deliver on the pitch," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

"The criticism is good because that will make us work harder."

Mancini has also faced problems off the field recently, with the Italian last week hitting out at what he sees as a drinking culture in British football after reports emerged suggesting City quartet Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry, Joe Hart and Shay Given were involved in late-night partying on a trip to Scotland.

"I am unhappy about this, but for them. We play every three days and it is difficult to recover," he said.

"I think this problem is not only for us, it is for many players. For British players, it is part of the culture."

City travel to face Lech Poznan on Thursday in the Europa League before meeting West Brom at The Hawthorns on Sunday.