Back
Nottingham Forest’s stunning three points claimed against Manchester City was more than just a famous result at the City Ground – it’s provided a blueprint for the rest of the Premier League.
Shock wins can sometimes be dismissed as operational anomalies or bad luck, Forest’s performance systematically dismantled City’s setup by targeting a pretty conclusive structural flaw that is fast becoming a crisis.
Whilst Enzo Maresca was obsessed with controlling possession, he now knows that his team remains very vulnerable, with Forest catching them cold with direct, aggressive running and a desperation to win the ball back as quickly as possible.
TalkingPoints
Is Jair Cunha now Nottingham Forest's best central defender? If not, who is and why?
Forest were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, and it was great to see the Reds do what the City Ground fans have been craving for a long time by starting well and taking their chances!
The three goals scored by Forest were not lightning bolts out of nowhere, they were carbon copy executions of the exact same pattern involving turning the ball back over quickly.
Forest baited City into high territory, forced a physical duel turnover in a central or wide transitional zone and then attacked the space in behind City’s high line, allowing their defensive unit little time to reset.
| Goal | Turnover Catalyst | Exploited Vulnerability | Tactical Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Goal (Jair Cunha 6′) |
Jair Cunha dispossessed Joško Gvardiol in wide build-up zone | Overcommitted full-back & slow transition tracking | City left wide channel completely exposed; direct duel win allowed Cunha to drive directly into penalty box. |
| 2nd Goal (Liam Delap) |
Xaver Schlager won high-intensity duel against Elliot Anderson | Unprotected central pivot space | Central midfield lacked defensive cover; Schlager immediately released Delap into isolated 1v1 against center-backs. |
| 3rd Goal (Liam Delap) |
Midfield turnover exploited via rapid vertical pass | Over-extended defensive line & passive rest defense | City’s backline was caught scrambling back toward their own goal without central midfield protection. |
Maresca pointed to the root cause of his team’s problems against Forest, suggesting that his side lost too many duels and didn’t compete well enough against Forest, losing more second balls than Oliver Glasner’s team.
Why does a possession-based approach leave a team so fragile when the ball changes hands? The answer comes by how City position their midfield and defensive lines during prolonged spells of dominance.
To help sustain the pressure, City push their full-backs high and invert central players, pinning opposition teams inside their own box. However, once the ball is lost, this setup requires an immediate, high-volume counter-press to succeed.
If the opposition possesses the physical profile to win the initial duel – as Forest did – City are left in an extremely dangerous state.
It wasn’t merely the tactical instructions that unlocked City – but more the profile of players that Glasner decided to go with against the former champions.
Forest’s attacking and midfield options possessed the exact attributes engineered to break the City press.
Crucially, Forest’s success wasn’t the first bad performance by City this season. The last two Premier League games have seen them beaten by Aston Villa and Brighton, with top-flight clubs now having a blueprint to beat the team who won their first seven matches this season.
Across the three defeats, City had over 60% possession, yet surrendered a pretty emphatic number of high-turnover shot attempts.
| Match | City Possession % | Turnovers Allowed in Own/Mid Third | Opposition Shots from Turnovers | Primary Match Decider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Aston Villa | 64% | 14 | 5 | Exploited high line via vertical balls over inverted full-backs. |
| vs Brighton | 61% | 18 | 7 | Bypassed central press through aggressive midfield duelling. |
| vs Nottingham Forest | 67% | 16 | 6 | Direct running and 1v1 physical dominance in transition channels. |
The data and the footage from the games that City have played recently tell a consistent story: they’re vulnerable, have big flaws and run more than them, and you will probably win!
When opposition teams field aggressive ball-winners who can absorb initial pressure and immediately launch physical runners into space.
City’s high possession numbers don’t really tell the full story at all. Forest didn’t just beat Manchester City, they wanted it more than their opponents and have not provided the rest of the Premier League with a blueprint to shatter their dominance at this level.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.