On a grey afternoon by the Trent, a team built to dominate found itself dominated, and Manchester City's newly installed manager Enzo Maresca watched an early promise of seven straight wins give way to three defeats in a row. It is the sort of stumble that every long season contains, yet its shape, a loose back line and a midfield that cannot hold the ball, asks harder questions than a single result usually does. Arsenal drift further ahead while City pause for the international break, a moment for reflection as much as for repair.
Maresca's dream start turns to nightmare as City's title hopes take a hit at Forest
A dream start turning into a nightmare
Mark
Seven wins, then three defeats. Why does this feel like more than a bad run?
Mimi
Because of how the losses came. Individual errors again, Gvardiol's giveaway in the sixth minute, and then a back line that Steve Stone called disjointed, with full-backs too wide.
Mark
Maresca also had to change his defence at half-time.
Mimi
Yes, Gvardiol and Guehi both came off injured, by his account. Nunes went to right-back, Khusanov moved inside and O'Reilly played left.
Luke
Worth separating the facts from the opinions. The injuries are Maresca's own statement. The claims about arrogance and mentality are Danny Murphy's reading, not something anyone confirmed.
Mark
And the history, does it offer hope?
Mimi
A little. Only two teams have recovered from a gap this size at this stage to win the title, United in 2002-03 and City in 2013-14.
Luke
Two examples is thin comfort, though. It shows it is possible, not that it is likely.
Mark
What about the financial case hanging over the club?
Mimi
City have appealed a guilty finding on Premier League financial rules. The appeal is ongoing.
Luke
And nobody knows the sanctions or whether they would touch this season. That is genuinely unknown, so it should not be folded into the title story as if it were a factor already.
Mark
So what is the break for?
Mimi
Maresca has to fix the defence and find a way to get more from Enzo Fernandez, who has one goal or assist in nine games.
Il Polso
- City fell behind inside six minutes after Gvardiol gave the ball away, and the match never felt like it belonged to them again.
- Liam Delap scored twice as Forest won the duels and second balls, leaving City's defence scrambling and their midfield exposed.
- Injuries forced Gvardiol and Guehi off at half-time, reshuffling the back four and sending Nunes to right-back in the middle of a crisis.
- Maresca insists there is no panic, but the three-match losing run is the worst City have endured since late 2024 and the title race is slipping.
- Arsenal sit six points clear, and with the appeal over financial rule breaches still hanging, the international break offers a narrow window to regroup.
On a grey afternoon by the Trent, a team built to dominate found itself dominated, and Manchester City's newly installed manager Enzo Maresca watched an early promise of seven straight wins give way to three defeats in a row. It is the sort of stumble that every long season contains, yet its shape, a loose back line and a midfield that cannot hold the ball, asks harder questions than a single result usually does. Arsenal drift further ahead while City pause for the international break, a moment for reflection as much as for repair.
Enzo Maresca left the City Ground on Saturday evening to the taunts of Nottingham Forest supporters, who sang that they could play City every week. Only weeks earlier his side had begun their first spell under him with seven straight wins. Now they have lost three league games in a row, the latest a 3-1 defeat on the banks of the Trent.
City were behind after six minutes, when Josko Gvardiol gave the ball away and Jair Cunha scored. Liam Delap, a former striker, then struck twice, and the visitors spent much of the afternoon chasing the game. Rayan Cherki pulled one back, but City could not rebuild from there. Injuries to Gvardiol and Marc Guehi at half-time forced further changes, and Maresca admitted his team had lost the intensity, the duels and the second balls in the first half.
The numbers are unforgiving. City have never before dropped three in a row after winning their first seven under such a stretch, and Arsenal's clean sheet against Hull means the leaders now sit six points clear. Former players argued the problem was not talent but a disjointed back line and a midfield that gave the ball away too easily. Liam Anderson's expensive summer move and Enzo Fernandez's lack of a goal or assist in nine games have raised their own questions.
All of this arrives beneath a cloud of uncertainty, as City's appeal against findings of breaching Premier League financial rules continues and any sanctions remain unknown. For now, the international break gives Maresca a few days to find answers before the next league fixture.
Enzo Maresca walked away from the City Ground on Saturday evening to the sound of Nottingham Forest supporters singing "can we play you every week?" It was a cruel soundtrack for a manager whose first spell in charge of Manchester City had begun with seven straight wins and has now slid into three straight Premier League defeats, the latest a 3-1 loss on the banks of the Trent.
City were behind in the sixth minute. Josko Gvardiol gave the ball away and Jair Cunha scored, and from there the visitors spent much of the afternoon on the back foot. Liam Delap, the former striker the report pairs with the lapses in City's concentration, scored twice. Gvardiol was at fault for the first goal, Iliman Ndiaye and Elliot Anderson got in a muddle for the second, and Matheus Nunes did not put in a challenge for the third. Rayan Cherki's striking goal gave City brief hope, but they could not turn the game around.
Maresca was blunt afterwards. His team, he said, did not match Forest's intensity in the first half, and lost the duels and the second balls. They tried to react at 2-0, he said, but it was too late; they scored one, probably could have scored more, and conceded again in transition. "No panic," he said. Asked why the intensity was missing, he said he needed to analyse that. He also said he had been forced to withdraw both Gvardiol and Marc Guehi at half-time through injury, which pushed Nunes to right-back, moved Abdukodir Khusanov inside and put Nico O'Reilly on the left.
The numbers are poor. City have lost three league games in a row for the first time since a run of four in November and December 2024. They are only the second side in English top-flight history, after Sheffield Wednesday in 1904-05, to win their first seven games and then lose the next three. It was also their first league defeat by two goals or more against a team starting the day in the relegation zone since a 2-0 loss to Bolton Wanderers in November 2008. The run includes defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton before Forest.
Arsenal edged past Hull earlier in the day and kept another clean sheet, so City go into the international break six points behind the leaders. If Brighton fail to beat Brentford on Sunday, Arsenal would be only the fourth side in Premier League history to hold a six-point lead after 10 games. Only two teams have been as far behind as City at this stage and still won the title: Manchester United in 2002-03, and City themselves in 2013-14 under Manuel Pellegrini. Brighton, under Fabian Hurzeler, could move up to second and sit five points behind Arsenal with a win.
Former Forest winger Steve Stone, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said that apart from the first goal the problem was not just individual errors but a disjointed line. The full-backs were very wide, he said, and if the ball turned over quickly a single pass could take Forest through them. He said Oliver Glasner's team played through City every time, and that he had never seen a City side give the ball away so much in midfield. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy called the performance poor in mentality, even suggesting a touch of arrogance at the start, and said big questions now face the manager. The talent will not be the issue, he argued, but sticking with the same back four for a while might help.
There are individual concerns too. Anderson, signed from Forest in the summer for £116m, endured a miserable return, and his midfield partnership with Enzo Fernandez does not appear to be working. Fernandez, the club's record signing, missed a close-range header and spent much of the game complaining to referee Sam Barrott. His goal in the midweek Champions League win at RB Leipzig is his only goal or assist in his past nine games.
A wider uncertainty hangs over the club as well. City have appealed after being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules, the process is ongoing, and any sanctions are not yet known. For now the international break gives Maresca time to sort out his defence and his midfield before the next league game.
Citazioni salienti
The first thing required in these games is intensity. We tried to react at 2-0 but it's too late. No panic.— Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
The full-backs were very wide... They have been exposed today.— Steve Stone, former Forest winger, on BBC Radio 5 Live
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