Mancini set to make changes

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini insists he is not afraid to ring the changes after his side's disappointing defeat to relegation-threatened Hull City.

Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson were both substitutes in the 2-1 loss at the KC Stadium, and Mancini could hand home debuts to the pair who arrived at Eastlands in the January transfer window when City face Bolton on Tuesday.

Mancini is keen to stamp his authority on the squad and is set to reveal a tough stance on players who do not perform.

Mancini told the Manchester Evening News: "To me the name of the player doesn't matter, it's whether he is prepared to fight hard on the pitch.

"Adam will probably start against Bolton and Patrick will probably start, as long as he is okay with his calf.

"Patrick and Adam both played well and in future will be important players."

Slow start

Mancini was angry that his team made a slow start against Hull, after underlining the importance of maintaining a fast tempo against Phil Brown's strugglers.

"In the first half we played the ball around very, very slowly, and we know that Hull at home are a different side - more aggressive," said the former Inter Milan boss.

"We didn't start quickly enough and didn't fight enough for every ball."

"In the second half we played better," he added. "We have a good chance of getting into the top four but we must change our mentality playing away."

Bellamy fears

Mancini may be forced into one change, with Craig Bellamy awaiting the results of a consultation about a knee problem.

Mancini told Sky Sports News: "Craig has a little problem with his knee and is having a meeting with the doctor.

"I think that it is a little problem, but given his past knee problems, I will not know until after Craig's meeting with the doctor."

The City boss also revealed that Joleon Lescott could feature against Bolton, but denied that it was because of concerns over the form of replacement Dedryck Boyata.

"Lescott is improving day after day. If possible he will go on the bench on Tuesday or perhaps on Saturday.

"(Boyata) is a good player, but also a young player and it is normal to find things difficult after three, four, five games.

"In the first half against Hull, all the squad played badly, not just him."