Danny Murphy has accused Manchester City of arrogance after their 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, as the dream start to Enzo Maresca’s reign as head coach unravelled further.
Seven straight wins to open the season have now been followed by three successive Premier League defeats, with City’s latest collapse coming against a Forest side that began the weekend in the relegation zone.
Liam Delap scored twice against his former club at the City Ground, continuing a troubling slide for Maresca’s side just months into his tenure.
Murphy questions City’s mentality
Speaking after the match, Murphy did not hold back in his assessment of City’s approach, insisting the manner of the defeat went beyond simple errors.
“I thought City’s performance was poor in terms of mentality,” Murphy told BBC Sport.
“To make so many mistakes when you go anywhere in the Premier League, but especially to a team who are fighting for their lives, and you know they’re going to come after you.
“They were sloppy with the ball, not winning duels. I would even probably go as far as saying there was probably a bit of arrogance at the start of the game from them.”
Josko Gvardiol’s giveaway led directly to Jair Cunha’s sixth-minute opener for Forest, setting the tone for an afternoon in which City never looked settled.
Gvardiol and Marc Guehi were both forced off with injuries at half-time, compounding City’s problems as they head into the international break six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Stone questions Maresca’s tactics, says City’s back line is ‘disjointed’
Former Forest winger Steve Stone, working as a pundit on the match, argued that City’s struggles ran deeper than individual mistakes, pointing instead to a structural issue in Maresca’s defence.
“Before the game all the talk was about individual errors,” Stone told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Apart from the first goal, this hasn’t been about that – the line is disjointed. The full-backs were very wide. If the ball turns over quickly and you pass it with your first pass you can be right through them.
“They have been exposed today. Oliver Glasner’s team have played through them every time.”
Stone admitted he had expected Manchester City to win before kick-off, and said he was taken aback by how often they surrendered possession in midfield, leaving themselves exposed to Forest’s counter-attacks throughout the afternoon.
A historic low for City
The defeat is a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change at the top level. City have now become only the second team in English top-flight history — after Sheffield Wednesday in 1904-05 — to win their opening seven games of a season before losing the next three.
For Maresca, the back-to-back-to-back defeats represent the first real test of his methods under sustained pressure.
The warning signs, according to both Murphy and Stone, point towards a side that has lost its defensive discipline at the exact moment opponents have started to figure them out.
Murphy suggested that while City’s attacking talent would eventually carry them through difficult spells, the head coach now faces scrutiny over his tactical set-up heading into the next block of fixtures.
“I think that there are now some big questions to ask the manager about how he gets them back on track,” Murphy said.
“I think with the talent they have got, it is not going to be a big problem. But I think defensively, maybe sticking to the same backline for a little while is the way forward.”
With the international break offering a pause for reflection, Maresca will have time to address the issues before City return to Premier League action.
