In the autumn of a new reign, Enzo Maresca's honeymoon at Manchester City has run into the old truth that football rewards the team that is most ruthless in its details. After seven unbeaten league starts, his side lost to Aston Villa and then to Brighton at the Etihad, the first back-to-back league defeats in fourteen months. The manager insists his players have done enough to deserve more, and that the errors and missed chances belong to the ordinary cruelty of the game, to be studied and then left behind. Whether that patience can hold while Arsenal sit close behind is the question the next
Maresca's Honeymoon Over as Man City Struggle with Defensive Errors and Wasteful Attack
City had 21 shots, nine big chances in two games, and one goal to show
Mark
Seven wins, then two defeats. Is this a crisis or just a blip?
Mimi
The numbers say it's too early for a crisis. City are top and have scored 20 goals in nine games. But the way they lost twice is what Maresca has to deal with.
Luke
Careful with the word crisis in either direction. Two games is a small sample, and the source gives us no verdict on whether this is a pattern.
Mark
What is the clearest pattern, then?
Mimi
Errors at the back. Guehi and Donnarumma at Villa, Nunes against Brighton. Ten goals conceded, double Arsenal's total, and one clean sheet in eight games.
Luke
Those counts are solid. But Maresca's claim that the errors are bad luck is his own view. The reporting doesn't test it.
Mark
And the midfield? That's a lot of money.
Mimi
£327m, with Fernandez, Anderson and Bouaddi the headline signings. He started all three against Brighton and left Cherki and Foden out.
Luke
Whether that choice caused the defeat isn't shown. He explained it as a response to a physical opponent, and City still had 21 shots.
Mark
So the attack wasn't the issue?
Mimi
Partly. Nine big chances in two games and one goal suggests wastefulness, and Haaland had little service.
Luke
Still unknown is whether that's finishing or chance quality. The figures show volume, not why it didn't convert.
Le Pouls
- Two straight Premier League defeats have shattered a seven-game unbeaten start and cracked the calm around Maresca's first months in charge.
- City have conceded ten league goals in nine games, double Arsenal's tally, and have kept only one clean sheet in eight matches across all competitions.
- A £327m midfield rebuild is being tested, with Maresca fielding three attacking midfielders at once and holding Cherki and Foden back as late options.
- Haaland is starved of service and nine big chances over two games have yielded just one goal, leaving the attack searching for its edge.
- Arsenal can go top with a win at Liverpool on Sunday, and City must bounce back against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
In the autumn of a new reign, Enzo Maresca's honeymoon at Manchester City has run into the old truth that football rewards the team that is most ruthless in its details. After seven unbeaten league starts, his side lost to Aston Villa and then to Brighton at the Etihad, the first back-to-back league defeats in fourteen months. The manager insists his players have done enough to deserve more, and that the errors and missed chances belong to the ordinary cruelty of the game, to be studied and then left behind. Whether that patience can hold while Arsenal sit close behind is the question the next few weeks will answer.
Enzo Maresca won his first seven Premier League games as Manchester City manager, and for a while it looked as though he had slipped easily into the shoes of Pep Guardiola. On Saturday at the Etihad that run was long gone. Brighton won 1-0, and City had now lost two league games in a row, following a defeat at Aston Villa the week before. It was the first time in fourteen months that City had lost back-to-back league matches.
After the game Maresca called the result strange and said it felt much like the Villa defeat. In his view his side had done enough to earn more. He praised the effort, said his players had fought to the end, and hoped for better fortune next time. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano were watching from the stands.
The trouble starts at the back. City have conceded ten league goals in nine games, twice as many as Arsenal, the side that took the title last season and are once again expected to be their main rivals. Individual errors are piling up, from Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma at Villa Park to Matheus Nunes against Brighton. Maresca stands by his goalkeeper, yet City have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight games in all competitions. Asked why the mistakes keep coming, he shrugged that such things happen in football and that the team must analyse them and move on.
The midfield is the second question. City spent £327m rebuilding it over the summer after Bernardo Silva and Rodri departed. Against Brighton Maresca picked three attacking midfielders behind the striker, a shape he rarely uses, expecting a physical contest with an aggressive opponent, and kept Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on the bench for the closing stages.
The attack has also gone quiet. City have scored twenty goals in nine league games, more than all but one side, yet the Brighton match ended a run of 23 top-flight games in which they had scored. Their 21 shots were their most at home without a goal since November 2024. Over the last two league games they have created nine big chances and scored once. Erling Haaland saw little of the ball, and Iliman Ndiaye missed City's best chance in each half.
Maresca believes the problem is avoidable mistakes rather than a lack of goals. The team is creating plenty of chances, he said, and must simply become more clinical.
The table adds to the pressure. City remain top on goal difference, but Arsenal can move above them with a win at Liverpool on Sunday. City's next chance to respond comes on Wednesday, away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca won his first seven Premier League games as Manchester City manager. On Saturday at the Etihad, that run was well behind him. Brighton won 1-0, and City had now lost two top-flight games in a row, following the defeat at Aston Villa a week earlier. It was the first time in 14 months that City had lost back-to-back league matches.
Maresca had stepped into the job of replacing Pep Guardiola and looked at ease doing it. After the Brighton game he called the result "a bit strange" and said it felt the same as the Villa loss: City, in his view, had done enough to deserve more. He praised the attitude and the performance, said the players fought to the end, and hoped for better luck next time. Watching from the stadium were chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano.
The first problem is at the back. City have conceded 10 goals in nine league games this season, twice as many as Arsenal, the side that beat them to the title last year and who are expected to be their closest rivals again. Individual mistakes are adding up. Marc Guehi, who was dropped for the Brighton game, and Gianluigi Donnarumma were both at fault at Villa Park, and Matheus Nunes made the error against Brighton. Maresca has been firm about his goalkeeper, describing the teamsheet as "Donnarumma plus 10". Even so, City have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight games in all competitions. Asked why the errors keep happening, Maresca said simply that sometimes it happens, that it is part of football, and that the team must analyse it and move on.
The second question is the midfield. City spent £327m rebuilding it in the summer after captain Bernardo Silva and the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri left. Enzo Fernandez cost a joint Premier League record £125m, Elliot Anderson £116m, and Ayyoub Bouaddi £86m, making him the most expensive teenager in English top-flight history. Maresca normally starts only two of the three behind a number 10. Against Brighton he played all three and left Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on the bench. He explained that he expected a physical game against an aggressive, man-to-man side, and planned to bring on Cherki, Allan and Foden for the final 20 to 30 minutes.
The attack was also off. City have scored 20 goals in nine league games, and Maresca pointed out that only one team has scored more. But the Brighton match ended a run of 23 top-flight games in which City had scored. Their 21 shots were the most they have had at home without scoring since 23 against Tottenham in November 2024. Over the last two league games they have created nine big chances and scored only once. Erling Haaland got little service, and Iliman Ndiaye had an off day, missing City's best chance in each half.
Maresca's own reading is that City are scoring enough but conceding "silly goals" that can be avoided. He said the team had created a good volume of chances and that it matters to keep creating them, even if they need to be more clinical.
The table adds pressure. City remain top on goal difference, but Arsenal will go above them with a win at Liverpool on Sunday (kick-off 16:30 GMT). City's next chance to respond is on Wednesday, away at RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Citations marquantes
We did enough to deserve something more, but we have to move on and try to win games.— Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
We are conceding silly goals that we can avoid.— Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager
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