Roberto Mancini to axe 'disappointing' players

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has vowed to axe a number of his stars following their weekend defeat, which has pushed them even further away from retaining the Premier League title.

The current champions stumbled to a 3-1 loss at the hands of Southampton, placing them 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester United, who won 2-0 against Everton yesterday.

"I am sure we will change that because I will change players next week," Mancini told the Manchester Evening News. "I only want players who are ready for the fight in the last 12 games.

"I am very angry with a lot of my players and very disappointed at the performance because it is impossible to play the way we did."

City switch their focus to the FA Cup next weekend when they take on Leeds United in the fifth round.