Manchester City: Could Carling Cup exit signal the end for Hughes?

Mark Hughes has only once tasted defeat as Manchester City manager this season but the former Blackburn Rovers boss could well find himself on the managerial scrapheap if he fails to beat Arsenal and book City's place in the last four of the Carling Cup.

Hull City became the seventh team in a row to share the spoils with the billionaires at the weekend and the pressure is starting to mount on the former Wales boss. Hughes is under no illusion that his players must return to winning ways immediately if he is to have any chance of spending his Christmas money in the January sales.

On Wednesday, City play host to Arsene Wenger’s young guns and Hughes will be desperate to book the Citizens’ place in the semi-finals of the competition. After all it’s been 33 years since City last lifted a trophy, which was in fact this very competition back in 1976, and he knows that bringing silverware to the club will enhance his chances of remaining City boss for the long haul.

Unfortunately for Hughes, Eastlands doesn’t appear to be the happiest place in the world right now. Brazilian striker Robinho has been pushing for a move back to Spain, Carlos Tevez has said that he has become disillusioned with the game and even Roque Santa Cruz has reportedly had a pop at the facilities at the club. But I do feel sorry for Hughes, whoever said that having money eliminates stress has obviously never spoken to the former Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona striker. He is in the envious position of being able to afford any player in the world but persuading them to join a club that has been starved of success for so long is not as easy as it seems.

Some people have questioned whether Hughes is a big enough name in Europe to attract the best players in the game and gain their respect. Now call me naive but I think two Premier League winners’ medals in his trophy cabinet alongside two European Cup Winners’ Cup, three League Cup and four FA Cup winners’ medals is something to respect and admire. Hughes may not appear as fiery and as determined on the touchline as he was on the pitch, but he is a born-winner and I’m sure will be doing everything in his power to end this poor run of results.

City started the season on fire and it was their rock solid defence that grabbed more headlines than their attacking flair. Hughes splashed out more than £40 million for the central defensive pairing of Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott in the summer and they looked to be forming a great partnership, but since beating Portsmouth 1-0 at Fratton Park in August City have managed to keep just one clean sheet in all competitions and Hughes has been criticised for signing two defenders with similar styles.

December may prove to be a decisive month in Hughes’s career at Eastlands. After the Arsenal game on Wednesday, they take on the champions-elect Chelsea at Eastlands, followed by trips to the Reebok and White Hart Lane, home games against Sunderland and Stoke and a visit to Molineux. It’s claimed that those in power at the club have total belief in what Hughes is doing at the club and are determined to keep faith with him, but it will be interesting to see what will happen if results don’t go his way in the next few weeks.

Hughes has the challenge of turning City into one of the best teams in the world and despite their poor run of results they are still only three points, with a game in hand, off the top four, which, let’s not forget, is their ultimate goal this season. For all of the criticism that City’s defence has received in recent weeks, you have to remember that they have only lost once and that’s no mean feat in the Premier League. They do need to get back to winning ways and victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup would go some way to keeping the axe from falling, but defeat could well spark the end of Hughes’s time at Eastlands.

· Calling all City fans. Where do you stand on Hughes? Does he have your full support or do you think the challenge in hand is too great for the former Blackburn boss? Would you trust Hughes to spend your cash wisely in January? If you think Hughes should be axed who would you prefer to see in his place? I’d love to hear from you.