MARK Hughes has warned his entire team their defending has to improve.

The Blues manager has refuted claims his defence should shoulder the blame for the run of five straight draws which has slowed the early- season charge for a Champions League place.

Critics were quick to pick up on the collective and individual errors which saw the Blues gift Burnley two goals, and then concede a late equaliser after they had fought back to lead 3-2.

But Hughes unleashed his fury on the whole team for that slip, and has re-asserted the old football maxim that defending begins from the front.

The Blues head for Anfield on Saturday for a Premier League clash which will give them a pointer or two when it comes to their ambitions of landing a top four place this season.

And the emphasis for the Blues in training this week will be on eradicating the kind of mistakes which cost two points against the Clarets.

Hughes is aware the back four which turned out against Burnley had only played together three times before that game, and that an injury meant Wayne Bridge - so loudly criticised by Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen - was only 50-50 about being able to play.

But even without such mitigating factors, Hughes says the failure against Burnley ran right through the team.

"It's a collective thing," he said. "It's not just about the guys at the back but about stopping things at source before they develop.

"We have to recognise that if the opposition is trying to clip balls into their front men, we have to work exceptionally hard to stop those balls coming in.

"At the moment that is part of our game we are not doing very well."

Hughes also feels the Blues' rip-roaring start to the season, when they racked up four straight league wins and a Carling Cup victory at Crystal Palace - with clean sheets in four of the five victories - had a cosmetic effect.

Prowess

"We are a new side in terms of number of games played, and we set off like a house on fire," he said.

"We were encouraged by that, but knew there would be occasions when we didn't function simply because of the number of games we have played together.

"It's a learning process, but we are still picking up points, which is an important factor."

There is a danger that City's attacking prowess - they have only failed to score in one game this season - could also cover up some of the cracks, as they almost did against Burnley.

But the fact that the Blues are capable of out-scoring opponents does not fool Hughes, and he wants to instil a more ruthless mind-set in his troops.

"We are trying to eradicate the errors from our game because they are hampering us," he said. "In an attacking sense some of the stuff we produced against Burnley was excellent.

"That will always be in our play, but we have to understand late in games you have to see the opposition off, discourage them and disappoint them. At the moment we are struggling to have that ability.

"You have to be able to take the sting out of things, not give the opposition any encouragement and make them think there is nothing down for them.

"We have to be strong and resolute and see those types of games out, make sure those lapses don't become prevalent in our game."

Hughes has again been frustrated by the international break, which has restricted the amount of time he has had to work on the problems.

But despite failing to notch a win in their last five games, Hughes says the belief in the side as an attacking force remains intact.

"I don't think our confidence will be affected because we know we will always score goals," he said. "But we know we have to be better defensively as a team.

"I know the players and their characters and I know we will get a response."

Hughes is also quick to point out that leaking goals and shedding points is not something peculiar to the Blues in the most open Premier League race for years.

"Teams are dropping points and we have to make sure even when we don't play particularly well we can still take something from the game," he said.

"That's a positive and if it continues we will be OK. But we have to improve because we know we are better than that."

One plus for the back four was the return to action of Nedum Onuoha, who played the full 90 minutes for City against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Thursday and may make Saturday's squad.

"It's good to be back," said Onuoha. "It's been frustrating for me for the past few weeks, having to watch things from the sidelines.

"When you can see the team has so much potential to do well, you need to be 100 per cent just to get a place in the squad. Hopefully I've taken the right steps towards playing again."

Onuoha may step in as right back, with both Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta having problems there this season.

Hughes is likely to make that position his priority in the January transfer window, but Onuoha says he has not been targeting the spot.