"It's Quite Clear" - Enzo Maresca Slams Manchester City's Lack of Intensity in Agonising Nottingham Forest Loss

"It's Quite Clear" - Enzo Maresca Slams Manchester City's Lack of Intensity in Agonising Nottingham Forest LossCity fell to a third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time in the Italian's tenure, with former blue Liam Delap scoring twice for Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest either side of a Rayan Cherki strike.Jair Cunha opened the scoring inside six minutes with his first goal for Forest after Josko Gvardiol lost possession deep in his own half, before Delap ran from the centre circle to make it 2-0 before half-time.Cherki pulled one back with a half-volley in the 52nd minute but Delap struck again in the 73rd minute after a return pass from Morgan Gibbs-White, leaving Manchester City six points behind reigning champions and table toppers Arsenal heading into the international break.We need to understand what we can do better in the international break, says Maresca after three straight Man City lossesSpeaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca assessed his side's toothless performance at the City Ground."It's quite clear - (in the) first-half, we were not good enough, we didn't match the intensity that these kind of games require," the Manchester City manager said."We conceded one, we conceded two, and then we tried to react. Most of the time in football, when you are 2-0 down, it's too late."And (in the) second-half, we started much, much better; we scored one, we could've scored probably more. And then, in transition, after we lost, again, a duel we conceded the third goal."Maresca was then quizzed on whether he is concerned by the run of results, with City losing thrice in a row after winning their first seven games of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.The former Chelsea boss added: "I'm always concerned, even when we win games. Again, we need to have balance; we won seven [games] in a row, now we lost three in a row."We need balance on that, and just during the international break try to understand what we can do better and try to start again after the international break."Maresca: If you are not able to win duels and second balls, you struggleThe Italian also touched on the transitions that led to Forest's goals, with Glasner's men causing the visitors trouble on the break all evening owing to the blistering pace they posses in attack."I think you concede transitions when you lose ball like the first goal, and you concede transitions when you don't win duels," Maresca said."If you are not able to win duels and second balls, like we have done in the first-half, you struggle. In these kind of games, first of all, you have to match the intensity, you have to match the desire to win second balls, to win duels, otherwise it's not good."The wider context of the Forest defeat for City and MarescaCity became the first top-flight side since Sheffield Wednesday in the 1904-05 season to lose three straight league games immediately after winning seven in a row, with the run following defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion in the space of just over a fortnight.Delap's first goal of the evening came after Iliman Ndiaye and Elliot Anderson got in each other's way in midfield, allowing the former Manchester City academy graduate to carry the ball from the centre circle and finish into the top corner.It was also the third league game in a row in which City conceded early, after Yasin Ayari's 11th-minute winner for Brighton and Nicolas Jackson's opener inside six minutes at Villa Park, where Marc Guehi's loose touch was punished.Guehi was replaced by Matheus Nunes at half-time as Manchester City searched for a response on Saturday, whilst Nico O'Reilly came off the bench later in the game despite Maresca having raised a fitness concern over the left-back's fitness ahead of the game - with the 21-year-old having been left out of the England squad for the international break as a result.What's next for Man City after the international break?City had arrived at the City Ground on the back of a 3-2 Champions League win at RB Leipzig, but the goals from Cunha and Delap were Forest's first in the Premier League at home this season, ending a scoring drought of 167 days at the City Ground.Anderson started in City's midfield on his first return to Forest since his £116 million summer move, three days after Maresca had said he expected the home supporters to give the England international a positive reception.Manchester City have now conceded six goals across their last three Premier League matches, against the backdrop of an independent commission's guilty verdict on 114 of 115 charges and the club's subsequent appeal against the ruling.City return from the international break with a Premier League meeting with Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on November 21, before welcoming Napoli in the Champions League three days later and travelling to face Arsenal on November 29.