Manchester City just made history, and not the good kind. They are only the second team in English top-flight history, after Sheffield Wednesday way back in 1904-05, to win their first seven games of a season and then absolutely crash, losing their next three. Enzo Maresca, the guy who started this whole thing, left the City Ground on Saturday with Nottingham Forest fans chanting “can we play you every week?” ringing in his ears. Yeah, his dream start? It’s officially a nightmare.
City’s Backline Is a Sieve and the Table Doesn’t Lie
The scene on the banks of the River Trent was pure chaos, and the delirious Forest faithful got a thrill ride watching their side dominate as City slumped to a third straight Premier League loss. What’s going on? Maresca’s defense is leaking goals like a broken faucet, and the “defensive blunders” are real. Just six minutes in, Josko Gvardiol coughed up the ball, and Jair Cunha pounced to open the scoring. That put City on the back foot, and honestly, they never truly recovered. They lost 3-1.
While City was busy unraveling, Arsenal was out there doing Arsenal things, edging past Hull and keeping another clean sheet. That means City heads into the international break searching for answers, not points, and they are now a staggering six points behind the champions. Maresca tried to play it cool after the game, saying, “The first half we didn’t match [Forest’s] intensity or win duels or second balls. The first thing required in these games is intensity.” He admitted, “We tried to react at 2-0 but it’s too late. We scored one, probably could have scored more but in transition we concede one more. No panic. We need to understand but no panic.” “No panic?” Dude, the train is off the tracks! When pressed on the low intensity, his response was just as concerning: “I need to analyse that.” Yeah, you do. Pronto.
History Stares City Down, Financial Cloud Looms
The situation already looks bleak for City, and history isn’t exactly offering much comfort. If Brighton can’t beat Brentford on Sunday, Arsenal would be just the fourth side in Premier League history to have a six-point lead after 10 games. And get this: only two teams have been this far behind at this stage and still gone on to win the title. One was Manchester United in 2002-03 (ugh), and the other? City themselves in 2013-14 under Manuel Pellegrini. So, yeah, there’s a *slim* chance, but it’s not looking good. Plus, Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton have a shot at jumping to second place, just five points behind Arsenal, if they beat Brentford. That would make City’s climb even tougher.
As if the on-field struggles weren’t enough, there’s a massive dark cloud hanging over the club. City lodged an appeal after being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules. That whole process is ongoing, and nobody knows what kind of sanctions City could face. Even if any possible punishment doesn’t hit them this season, their title hopes are looking slimmer by the match, and this financial drama certainly isn’t helping team morale. Maresca himself said during the week he was still getting to know his players, but a performance like the one against Forest is probably giving him some pretty stark clarity on who he can trust, and more importantly, who he absolutely cannot. After starting the season like world beaters with seven straight wins, City has hit real trouble with defeats against Aston Villa, Brighton, and now a shocking loss to Forest. They head into the international break in shambles.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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