Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is demanding crisis talks with the club's owners. The Sunday Mirror says he is ­determined to root out the dressing-room dissenters who are undermining his position at the Etihad with their ­reluctance and inability to ­follow his tactics.

Mancini now wants talks with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and new chief executive Ferran Soriano to establish whether he retains their full support as he looks to reassert his authority.

A City insider said: "Mancini has no interest in being a friend of the players. He doesn't care whether they hate him.

"He just wants them to do as they are told when they are on the pitch and the training ground. Mancini is like a lot of Italian managers who believe the coach must be dictatorial in their approach.

"He will not back away from an issue if he feels it is undermining his position. Some players will not like his style, but he has the trophies to show that it works. It has also worked for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

"Mancini is in a strong position and he expects the full support of the people who pay him to do his job."