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Enzo Maresca blamed his side’s lack of desire and the way they were outgunned in duels for a third successive Premier League defeat. After winning their first seven games of the season, Manchester City’s 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest extended their poor run.
Defeat at Nottingham Forest
Jair Cunha dispossessed Josko Gvardiol to score the opener, then Liam Delap struck twice with muscular surges on the break as Forest won their first home league game since April. Maresca stated that the problem was general rather than about one player, explaining that they lost all the duels and contacts in the first half against a team fighting relegation.
Maresca emphasized that desire and intensity are required to win second balls and duels, noting that they did not match the opponent’s intensity. He added that the second and third goals were identical, resulting from lost duels first in the middle of the pitch and then at the edge of the box.
Recent Struggles and International Break
Manchester City’s perfect record ended with a 2-1 away defeat against Aston Villa, followed by a 1-0 home loss against Brighton. Maresca noted that while these matches were all different, his team had been much better in terms of chances and possession in all of them yet still lost every one.
Maresca stated that the team will use the upcoming international break to clarify what they can do better and improve things to avoid this kind of game in the future.
Opposition Reaction
Following his frustrated reaction to a previous defeat at Brentford, Oliver Glasner expressed delight that his tactical reset had paid off. Glasner remarked that while they have played better games of football, their passionate and tactically smart defending made this one of their better performances.
Glasner explained that controlling the game requires running and quick awareness against such a great team with a good structure that moves the ball quickly. He added that alongside defending, they also needed to go forward in the right moments, which they successfully executed during the match.
