ROBERTO Mancini is content Manchester City have got their defending right – now he wants to concentrate on the attack.

City tackle Newcastle at Eastlands tomorrow, having conceded only six goals all season.

Two of those efforts came in a bizarre two-minute spell that saw them knocked out of the Carling Cup at West Brom.

Another was a penalty and a fourth resulted from a ridiculous mix-up between Joe Hart and Kolo Toure against Blackburn.

Juventus’ Vincenzo Iaquinta scored the latest in the Europa League draw at Eastlands.

However, considering that was City’s 11th game of the season, Mancini is reasonably pleased.

Of more concern is the fact that his side have scored only 14 balls and managed more than one only three times.

Even with Mario Balotelli out of action until the end of this month at the earliest, Mancini feels his side should be doing better.

That is what they will be spending hours on at their Carrington training base.

‘‘We have worked very well in the defensive phase, now we must improve on the offensive side so we score more than one goal a game,’’ said Mancini.

‘‘But I believe we only have this problem because all our strikers are injured.

‘‘When Emmanuel Adebayor recovers 100 fitness and Mario Balotelli is back, I am confident we can change this situation.’’ Mancini realises there will be extra focus on his side this weekend because of their victory over Chelsea.

The Italian needs no reminding that immediately after smashing three goals past Liverpool last month, they lost at Sunderland, then failed to overcome Blackburn immediately after the international break.

‘‘We must beat teams like Newcastle and West Brom,’’ said Mancini.

‘‘We can’t allow ourselves just to think we can beat Chelsea and Liverpool.”

After a period of his team being badly affected by injury, it seemed there was some light at the end of the tunnel when Jerome Boateng was able to make his first start on Thursday night.

Within 45 minutes, Mancini had lost another player as Pablo Zabaleta suffered the hamstring strain that has ruled him out for a fortnight.

Now Mancini is faced with the choice of either pressing Joleon Lescott back into service after a groin problem, or picking Boateng for his second game in four days.