Manchester City Manager Enzo Maresca Faces Challenges After Two Consecutive Defeats
Enzo Maresca began his tenure as Manchester City manager with a perfect record, securing victories in his first seven Premier League matches. However, that streak has ended following recent setbacks.
City suffered a defeat against Aston Villa last weekend and continued to struggle after losing 1-0 at home to Brighton on Saturday.
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Maresca described the defeat as “a bit strange,” likening it to his feelings after the Aston Villa match. “We did enough to deserve something more but we have to move on and try to win games,” he stated.
He noted the team’s offensive efforts, saying, “We created a good volume of offensive action. Sometimes you have to be more clinical and score but it’s important that we create. We did everything to be honest.”
The Italian manager expressed satisfaction with his players’ attitude, emphasizing their commitment, “The players fought until the end and hopefully next time we are more lucky.”
Maresca, who stepped into the challenging role of succeeding the legendary Pep Guardiola, now faces the task of addressing the team’s inconsistent performance.
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With chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano monitoring the situation closely, Maresca has several pressing issues to resolve on the field.
Defensive Errors Costing Points
Last season, City lost the title to Arsenal and are expected to compete closely with them again this season.
Currently, City leads on goal difference, but Arsenal could surpass them if they defeat Liverpool on Sunday (kick-off at 16:30 GMT).
The team has conceded 10 goals in nine league games, which is double the number of goals allowed by Arsenal.
Defensive lapses have been prominent, with errors contributing to losses; Marc Guehi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Matheus Nunes have all been cited for crucial mistakes in recent games.
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Maresca maintains that his first-choice goalkeeper is “Donnarumma plus 10 [other players]” according to the teamsheet, but the team’s defensive issues have resulted in just one clean sheet across their last eight competitive matches.
This recent defeat marks the first time City has experienced back-to-back losses in the Premier League in 14 months.
“Why?” Maresca reflected on the individual errors. “Sometimes it happens. Unfortunately, it is happening for our players but I think it is part of the game, part of football. It happens many times against us. We need to analyse and understand what we can do better and try to move on.”
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Midfield Adjustments Required
City underwent significant changes in their midfield, investing £325 million during the summer following the exits of captain Bernardo Silva and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
The new signings include a joint-Premier League record fee of £125 million for Enzo Fernandez, £116 million for Elliot Anderson, and £86 million to make Ayyoub Bouaddi the most expensive teenager in English top-flight history.
Despite these changes, Maresca appears to be seeking the optimal configuration in midfield. He typically fields only two of the new arrivals behind a central playmaker but opted to start all three against Brighton, leaving Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on the bench.
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“I expected a physical game,” Maresca said regarding his midfield selection. “I think it was a good idea to start with three physical midfielders and I was also thinking about the last 20-30 minutes to refresh with Rayan, Allan, and Phil. In this moment, it is like this and we need just to move on.”
Struggles in Attack
Maresca must also address the team’s lack of potency in front of goal, as City has not been clinical in recent outings.
Despite scoring 20 goals in nine Premier League matches this season, the defeat to Brighton ended a streak of 23 consecutive league games in which City had scored.
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On Saturday, City recorded 21 shots, the highest number of attempts at home without scoring since November 2024, when they had 23 attempts against Tottenham.
In their last two league matches, City managed only one goal despite generating nine clear chances. Erling Haaland received little service, while Iliman Ndiaye struggled to convert key opportunities.
Maresca remarked, “I think also in this moment we are the second team in terms of scoring in the Premier League. That means we are scoring goals, but we are conceding silly goals that we can avoid and hopefully we can avoid in the next game.”
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Next up for City is a Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, where they will aim to bounce back and regain form.
