Mancini unhappy with Villa´s Lambert

Roberto Mancini has criticised the behaviour of Aston Villa’s Paul Lambert after seeing his Manchester City team exit the Carling Cup.

City went down 4-2 at home to Villa after extra-time in their third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.

Lambert and Mancini were involved in a touchline confrontation after the City manager questioned the referee’s decision not to punish a tackle by a Villa player.

“I am tired with this manager (Lambert), I am very tired with him because I didn’t say anything to him and only asked the fourth official if it was a yellow card,” he said.

“I asked the fourth official and he (Lambert) came over like he always does every time. In the big stadiums this manager goes and says everything and I say nothing. I am very tired of this and I am very tired of him.

“I am tired with this behaviour, their behaviour, it would be better for some managers to shut up because I didn’t speak with the manager, I asked the fourth official, I thought that the referee might have forgotten the yellow card in the dressing room.

“I asked the fourth official and Lambert complained, I don’t know, he just wants to talk with me, I don’t know.

According to Mancini, former Norwich manager Lambert would be unlikely to engage in a similar confrontation with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

“There are elements of this … I didn’t say anything, but after when they go to Old Trafford they don’t say anything. When all the talkative managers who argue with the referee go there they always stay seated on the bench.”

Mancini said he was disappointed to exit the only domestic competition City are yet to win during his tenure, and called for the team’s leaky defence to tighten up.

“This (defending) is the problem, it is our problem, we need to work with our defenders because at the moment they are not working well,” he said.

“We need to work on this, it is clear that this is the third competition in England but it was the only competition we haven’t won and because of this we wanted to stay in this cup.

“We have won everything else but we are missing this cup and we are so disappointed by this.”