Manchester City 1 Nottingham Forest 3: Enzo Maresca’s team’s weaknesses ruthlessly exposed at The City Ground

Manchester City 1 Nottingham Forest 3: Enzo Maresca’s team’s weaknesses ruthlessly exposed at The City Ground Manchester City 1 (Rayan Cherki 52′, Nottingham Forest 3 (Jair Cunha 6′, Liam Delap 18′, 73′) Manchester City have lost their third consecutive match in the Premier League today against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground. Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten 3-1 by a fired-up Forest. Oliver Glasner’s side ruthlessly exposed Manchester City’s frailties and once again an individual error set the scene for City to be beaten by a Liam Delap-inspired Forest side. When the starting lineups were announced , Enzo Maresca had made three changes to the starting lineup which beat RB Leipzig in midweek. Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku came into the starting in the place of Nico O’Reilly, Matheus Nunes and Phil Foden. Enzo Maresca had put his faith in Abdukodir Khusanov at right-back and he also trusted his most experienced centre-back pairing in an important match. Also, Maresca went with the midfield trio of Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Rayan Cherki. First half. It would only take six minutes for a familiar tale to unfold for Enzo Maresca’s side. Josko Gvardiol was dispossessed in midfield by Nottingham Forest defender Jair Cunha. Cunha surged forward and got himself into a great position to shoot from just inside the City area. Jair Cunha beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a smart, low left-footed finish to set The City Ground alight. Once again, an individual error cost Enzo Maresca’s side. You have to question what the City players are thinking at times and also how Enzo Maresca’s tactics are setting them up to be in these positions in the first place. As the game entered the 15th minute the pattern seemed set. Manchester City were dominating possession but were met by a well-organised Nottingham Forest defence and system. Oliver Glasner’s side were sweating on winning back possession in midfield with the intention of swiftly breaking into space. While attention has been on the City midfield make up, the issue when teams break comes from the full-back positions. Twice in the opening 15 minutes Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol were too far forward and could not get back when possession was lost. That is where teams have space on the break against Enzo Maresca’s side. Liam Delap doubles Nottingham Forest’s lead with a simple goal on the break. Nottingham Forest took a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute. Indecision from Iliman Ndiaye, who decided to call in Elliot Anderson for a ball in midfield, saw Forest seize on the opening. Xaver Schlager seized possession and set Liam Delap away through the middle of the pitch. Delap surged towards goal and with Marc Guehi unable to put a foot in, Delap fired a powerful shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma to double Forest’s lead. Once again, it was a simple goal for City to concede as obvious frailties in Enzo Maresca’s system were cut through like butter. After Nottingham Forest had had all of the chances in the match, Enzo Fernandez headed Manchester City’s first real chance of the game over the crossbar in the 24th minute. Jeremy Doku received possession on the left wing and he played the ball back to Marc Guehi. Guehi swung in a great cross to the back post which picked out Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez headed over the crossbar from close range with Forest keeper Matz Sels relieved to see the chance fly into the stands. As the game ticked into the 30th minute, Nottingham Forest were great value for their lead. Oliver Glasner’s side weren’t giving Manchester City any time in possession in midfield and they had well and truly rattled Enzo Maresca’s side. City looked lethargic and were lacking composure in all facets of the game. The game had settled before City create two good chances. As the game approached halftime, it had settled with neither side offering much going forward. Enzo Maresca’s side did have spells of possession but didn’t create a lot. Nottingham Forest were defending well and keeping their shape. Manchester City created a great opening in the 40th minute. Abdukodir Khusanov played Erling Haaland in with a great ball. Haaland rounded Forest keeper Matz Sels but his shot from a tight angle was cleared off the line by the Forest defence. From the resulting corner, Elliot Anderson hit a right-footed volley straight at Matz Sels after the Forest defence initially cleared a City corner. The final five minutes plus stoppage time of the first half would play out without incident. Nottingham Forest would take a deserved 2-0 lead into the interval after their fast start to the first half rocked Enzo Maresca’s side. Thoughts and impressions from Manchester City’s first half display. Where do you start with that from a Manchester City point of view? For the opening half-hour, City were all at sea and Oliver Glasner’s side whacked them right between the eyes. Everything about Manchester City’s play was putrid in game’s opening 30 minutes. Clear flaws in Enzo Maresca’s system were seized upon by Nottingham Forest. Yes, Josko Gvardiol gave away possession in a dangerous position which Jair Cunha ruthlessly seized upon. However, you do question the role that Gvardiol is playing which allows such errors to occur and prove so costly. Also, you question why both full-backs are pushing forward so aggressively with Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernandez in the starting lineup. Neither player will get back when possession is lost, so an obvious hole in City’s system becomes further exposed. All told, Nottingham Forest deserved their lead and it would take a massive second half performance from Enzo Maresca’s side to leave The City Ground with anything. Second half. Enzo Maresca brought on Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes for Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol at halftime. The Manchester City manager had to do something to alter the flow of the match and the fact that he replaced half of his back four was telling in itself. Rayan Cherki fires Manchester City back into the game with a superb goal. Manchester City would make it 2-1 in the 52nd minute. Rayan Cherki sprayed a quality ball from midfield to the left which picked out Jeremy Doku in acres of space. Doku drove to the byline but his cross was deflected to the edge of the Forest penalty area. Rayan Cherki followed up his pass and was on hand to unleash an unstoppable left-footed strike into the top corner to give Enzo Maresca’s side a way back into the game. Cherki’s goal was utterly superb as was his long ball that caught out Forest right-back Daniel Muñoz to set Doku free. Erling Haaland would curl a right-footed strike inches wide in the 57th minute. Matheus Nunes and Iliman Ndiaye combined on the right and Nunes played in a cross from the right. Nunes’ cross found it’s way to Haaland who attempted to curl a right-footed strike into the far top corner that just went over the crossbar with Matz Sels beaten. Despite the fact that Manchester City had dominated the second half, Nottingham Forest almost took a 3-1 lead in the 67th minute. Murillo dispossessed Enzo Fernandez in a dangerous position after Elliot Anderson sold Fernandez into trouble with a poor pass. Ryan Yates received the ball and hit a shot on goal, which was blocked by the City defence into the air. The ball looped into the air and hit the crossbar and went behind for a corner. Nottingham Forest’s high press created the opening as the game continued to ebb and flow. Liam Delap restores Forest’s 3-1 lead with a superb goal. As Manchester City pushed for an equalizer, it would be Nottingham Forest who would take a 3-1 lead in the 73rd minute. Forest won a crucial duel in their own half which allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to surge at a backpedalling City defence. Gibbs-White played the ball to his left to Liam Delap in space. Delap got to the edge of the area and smashed an unstoppable left-footed strike that hit the post and went in. Delap’s strike left Donnarumma no chance of making a save. For all of Manchester City’s possession play, that goal always threatened to happen. It did, and City’s task became even more difficult. With eight minutes plus stoppage time to go, the stuffing looked to have been knocked out of Manchester City. There was seemingly more chance of Forest making it 4-1 than Enzo Maresca’s side pulling a goal back. City were staring down the barrel of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League unless something drastically changed. The closing stages of the match played out without incident. When the final whistle blew it was greeted with a thunderous ovation from The City Ground. Nottingham Forest deserved their 3-1 win and there are a mountain of issues for Enzo Maresca and his team to work on during the international break. Observations from a Manchester City defeat that laid bare the issues with Enzo Maresca’s side and system. Manchester City got what they deserved at The City Ground. Nottingham Forest wanted it more in the first half and City played into their hands. Once Josko Gvardiol gifted Forest their opening goal, the dye was cast. Enzo Maresca’s lineup and system did not work in the first half. It played into Forest’s hands. With the full-backs inverting and pushing forward it exposes Marc Guehi, Ruben Dias and Elliot Anderson. Especially with Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernandez playing in midfield. Once City lose a duel in midfield or possession they are ruthlessly exposed at the back. It was no shock that both of Forest’s first hald goal came in this manner. That has been a common issue throughout this season that Enzo Maresca must solve. Manchester City lifted after halftime. The introduction of Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes did offer City what they were screaming out for. However, they left themselves too much to do. Rayan Cherki gave City a lifeline. But they were always susceptible to the counter. Liam Delap provided the hammer blow. Enzo Maresca’s side slumped to their third consecutive defeat in the league today. The early shine has now well and truly faded. Enzo Maresca has plenty of work to do to solve City’s obvious issues.