Mark Hughes has come out to defend Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge over the criticism hurled at the defender over the weekend.

Bridge was the victim of attacks in the media for his display against Burnley.

However, Hughes has countered the accusations, saying that they are just opportunistic.

"Pundits on Match of the Day or whatever just have an opportunity to nail individuals in the public domain," said Hughes.

"But we are not going to do. We look to analyse our mistakes and make sure, in future, we are better in similar situations.

"I am sure that their process involves looking at incidents in games, but not taking it as a whole.

"That is the role in life that they have decided to follow and that is the way it has to be. But there is a frustration when they don't go into particularly in-depth analysis.

"I would question how many games they actually watch live, from the start to the conclusion of games."

Hughes has backed his fullback, saying that Bridge will overcome this spat of criticism.

"Wayne is an experienced player who has won Premier League titles and been part of teams that have been at the top end. He understands what it is all about," said Hughes.

"At times, individuals will make decisions that affect the team and sometimes you have to hold your hand up. But he will be fine."

Hughes was holding court with the press in Abu Dhabi, where Manchester City are set to take on the UAE on Thursday.

"We hope to become the club of choice for the people of Abu Dhabi and make them proud of the football we play in the same way we aim to do with our supporters in Manchester," said Hughes.

"Our main focus is to train, play the game and win, but we will go there representing Manchester City, which is a big honour.

"We will make ourselves accessible during the week and we will make sure everybody appreciates how we feel about playing and working for a great club."