Gael Clichy believes Manchester City were right to sack Roberto Mancini after failing to win silverware this season.
The France full-back made 41 appearances this term as the club failed to retain their Premier League title, lost the FA Cup final to underdogs Wigan and were eliminated from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Mancini was sacked by City on May 14 and Clichy said that the manager has to take responsibility for their failings this season.
"It's the first time a manager has been axed while I've been at a club," he said. "So it's a bit of a shock and if you look at his record it's hard to
understand.
"But he's the manager and you have to take responsibility. When results are good it's all down to the manager. When the results are not so good, it's also down to him.
"We have to be aware he was probably at fault for this. The chairman made the decision, you have to respect it."
The 27-year-old has been at the club since July 2011 picking up the FA Cup in his first season and the league title last season, and he admitted that their performances had not been good enough.
"We have to be honest and say we didn't perform well this year," he added. "We started the season sloppily and finished sloppily."
