Sylvinho: Manchester City's stars have to forget about Mark Hughes

Manchester City defender Sylvinho has told his team-mates to stop brooding over the sacking of Mark Hughes and get on with their jobs.

Several City players, led by Craig Bellamy and Shay Given, remain furious at the way Hughes was dismissed and replaced by Italian coach Roberto Mancini.

City's hierarchy are keen to draw a line under the embarrassing episode following the shoddy way in which they dumped Hughes and recruited Mancini after weeks of covert planning.

And veteran defender Sylvinho has now told his fellow City players they must now forget all about Hughes and adopt a professional approach under their new boss.

"Sometimes these things happen when you're talking about football at this level, and as a player you have to be prepared to adapt quickly," said Sylvinho.

"Whatever happens, we try to do our best. We can't be thinking about Mark Hughes, who was a good manager trying to do his best for the club. There is no time. Football changes too quickly.

"As a professional you have to work hard for the new coach, because you know that in a few days you have another important game. And the Premier League is difficult, you must prepare properly." 

Sylvinho, who is enjoying his first run in the City first-team with Wayne Bridge currently injured, said Mancini's first task since succeeding Hughes has been to sort out the club's woeful defence.

City have conceded nine goals in their last three Premier League games and Sylvinho said former Inter Milan boss Mancini's background in Italian football - where defence is the bedrock - will be a huge asset.

"Yes, he is tactical," said Sylvinho. "The Italian League is one of the best in the world. He will try to make the team safe, but he wants to get all the positions correct. I think he'll be good for us." 

Mancini has told City's players they will all have an equal chance under him, despite many having under-performed for Hughes and failing to generate enough wins to keep their former boss in a job.

But Sylvinho, 35, said impressing the new man in charge should be the last thing on the players' minds ahead of their first game under Mancini against Stoke on Boxing Day at Eastlands.

"We're not just out to impress, most of us are experienced players," said Sylvinho. "We'll try to win the points. Winning games gets you higher in the table and that gives you the confidence to be a bit more comfortable.

"Stoke is now a very important game and they are going to be hard to beat. We will have to work very hard and keep our concentration to win the game - and that means everyone in the team."

Mancini will assess City's players in their two remaining games of 2009 before making any decisions over where the squad needs strengthening in January when the transfer window re-opens.

But City's defensive crisis - they are missing Bridge, Joleon Lescott and Nedum Onuoha - means Mancini is certain to go into the market for a new centre-back to ease the pressure on his depleted resources.

Onuoha faces four weeks on the sidelines after picking up the injury during Saturday's win over Sunderland.

Mancini is already without Joleon Lescott, who could be missing until early February after undergoing an operation to remove a piece of floating bone from his knee.

And with Kolo Toure off to the African Nations Cup with the Ivory Coast after following City's Boxing Day clash with Stoke, Mancini's defensive options will be stretched to the limit.

As such, the new City boss is likely to follow up his interest in Palermo centre-back Simon Kjaer with an £11million offer for the 20-year-old Denmark international, who has also caught the eye of Manchester United and Liverpool.

Kjaer is understood to have a buyout clause in his contract worth £11m and wants to move to England. Mancini is also interested in Juventus centre-half Giorgio Chiellini, who is said to be keen on a move following the Italian club's Champions League exit.

Mancini has plenty of injury worries ahead of the Stoke clash, with Shaun Wright-Phillips struggling to be fit after aggravating an ankle injury during the win over Sunderland.

Emmanuel Adebayor, who was left on the bench last Saturday, is receiving treatment for an ankle problem.