The Liverpool F.C. Society

Manchester City are revolting.. because of Mancini's training methods
Roberto Mancini is facing a dressing-room revolt among his Manchester City players over his controversial training ground methods.

Several City players are unhappy at Mancini's habit of changing their training schedule at the last minute, leaving them little time to plan their lives.

And at least one senior first-team player believes the training sessions themselves lack the intensity of those under Mancini's predecessor Mark Hughes.

Mancini is fond of changing City's training schedule on a whim, often with less than 24 hours' notice, which is proving an ongoing source of irritation to several squad members.

City's recent drop off in results would seem to indicate a disillusionment among some of Mancini's players, despite them having scrambled to fourth in the Premier League.

Defeat at Hull, an unconvincing win over Bolton and successive draws against Stoke have stripped City of the early euphoria of life under Mancini, who won his first four games.

City have looked disjointed and lethargic in recent games, with some players seemingly finding it hard to willingly adapt to Mancini's methods both on and off the pitch.

The Italian is known for placing more emphasis on defensive duties than Hughes, evident in his decision to deploy three holding midfielders in City's last two games.

That has served to alienate some of City's more attack-minded players, who feel they are being marginalised under Mancini's pragmatic and cautious approach to games.

A City source said: "Players are creatures of habit who like to know in advance when they're doing things and at what time, but that's not happening.

"At most clubs there's a set training time but Mancini keeps chopping and changing, which means the players can't plan things in advance." Mancini is so desperate to succeed at City he is undergoing daily two-hour English lessons at Salford University in a bid to communicate more effectively with his players.