Mancini facing players’ mutiny following Man City’s ignominious loss to Ajax in CL

London: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has started losing his dressing room at the club following their humiliating 3-1 defeat against underdogs Ajax in the Champions League, which has also almost derailed their European campaign for a second year in succession in the group stage itself.

According to the Daily Mirror, Mancini summoned his players in to City`s training ground on Thursday morning for an inquest into their 3-1 defeat to Ajax, despite the squad having not arrived back from Holland until late night. Several senior City players have become disillusioned with the Italian`s approach, culminating in their humiliating 3-1 Champions League defeat at Ajax, the paper added. Mancini was furious with his side for lurching to the brink of another Champions` League group stage exit and is himself facing growing unrest from within the squad over his own approach, the paper said. Micah Richards questioned Mancini`s decision to switch formations several times during the Ajax game, while fellow defender Joleon Lescott said City`s players were not "overly enthusiastic" with how this season had gone, hinting at further discord, it added. The paper further said, Mancini started the match against Ajax with a 4-2-3-1 system, changed midway through to 4-4-2 and then abandoned that for 3-5-2 during the second-half, leaving his players completely bewildered. Mancini is famed for his stubborn streak and believes good players should be able to adapt to any formation, despite the fact they may have a preference for a particular system, the paper further reported. However, the City boss faces a fresh test of his managerial power, with several of his players no longer bothering to hide their obvious disdain for his tinkering and tactics, it concluded. ANI