From the victory over Leeds to losing the lead, Manchester City showed both the bravery of a champion and their own weaknesses in just a few days.
City has spent most of the season chasing Arsenal in the championship race. And if they cannot regain the title, the reason may lie in how they lose the advantage in matches, not in the standings.
Nottingham Forest's two equalizing goals meant that Pep Guardiola's team had dropped 13 points from the matches they were leading.
This number reflects a reality that Man City is no longer the same team that once controlled the match absolutely as before. Guardiola's squad now favors a faster transitioning style of play, with a lower ball possession rate and a sharply reduced accuracy in passes.
6 matches in which Man City lost the lead can be divided into three groups. Two defeats to Brighton caused them to lose 5 points due to comebacks. Two other defeats came in injury time when Arsenal and Chelsea scored decisive goals. And the other two matches were when City led by two goals against opponents struggling in the bottom group but were held to a draw by Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.
One of the turning points of the season was probably Gabriel Martinelli's equalizer in the 90+3 minute for Arsenal in the match against Man City. At that time, City only controlled the ball 32% but almost won.
After that, they also could not defeat Chelsea under the guidance of interim coach Calum McFarlane, before continuing to be equalized by Brighton just a few days later.
A notable detail is McFarlane's rare score, as well as Thomas Frank's final score when leading Tottenham and Vitor Pereira's first point with Nottingham Forest, both came from matches against Man City.
This partly shows that The Citizens lack decisiveness at key moments. Weaker teams can still take advantage of opportunities to surprise.
Another factor is the increasingly uniform quality of the Premier League. Smaller teams also possess players who are capable of creating moments of brilliance.
Dominic Solanke once scored with a "scorpion"-style shot into City's net, while Morgan Gibbs-White scored with a beautiful backheel in Nottingham Forest's draw.
The fact that both Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson - who scored the remaining goal for Forest - are in Man City's sights also shows that the quality of players in the Premier League is becoming more and more impressive and diverse.
Man City has spent about 430 million pounds in the last three transfer windows and brought in many quality signings, but they are no longer the only team to own world-class stars.
Previously, Man City was different thanks to ball control and a winning streak that was almost self-sufficient thanks to the framework of experienced champions. After the historic treble in 2023, their form gradually declined, although they were still capable of winning the next season. But now, the squad that once dominated that tournament has gradually disintegrated.
We used to have more players familiar with this situation. Rodri, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, and people like John Stones or Nathan Ake all understand this feeling" - Bernardo Silva shared.
