Manchester City’s problems under Enzo Maresca go beyond tactics

After three straight defeats, City’s manager says he will use the international break to reassess.  

Manchester City's Enzo Fernandez (left) walks off the field after being substituted off as manager Enzo Maresca looks on during the Premier League match at The City Ground, Nottingham. Picture: Nigel French/Press Association. 

Enzo Maresca seemed, if not quite baffled by his side’s Saturday defeat to Nottingham Forest, then at least a little put out. After seven straight wins from the start of the season, that’s now three straight defeats, a pattern so unusual that it’s been recorded only once before in top-flight English history, by Sheffield Wednesday in 1904-05. The three defeats were all different, Maresca said, although in all of them City had had more possession and more chances.

In the 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa two weeks ago, City had 63% of the ball and had 15 chances to Villa’s eight. In the 1-0 home defeat to Brighton last weekend, they had 62% possession and 21 chances to seven. At the City Ground, it was 79% possession and 12 chances to 11. So Maresca is right in one way: City could look at basic statistics and say they had been unfortunate – although Forest could equally point to the fact that they went into that game third top of the expected goals table but second-bottom of the actual table.