Coach Enzo Maresca once expressed his desire to "minimize the gap" between Manchester City and Arsenal. However, the 0-3 defeat in the English Super Cup match exposed many problems that Man City needs to quickly solve.
Less than a week before the new season kicks off, Maresca's team has not yet shown the cohesion of a complete team.
Arsenal exploited almost all of Man City's weaknesses: unorganized defense, inferior midfield and ineffective pressure ability. More notably, The Citizens possess many players who are capable of assisting and scoring but lack a factor that makes a difference. They made about 200 passes more than Arsenal in the opponent's half, but only created one clear opportunity, while Arsenal had up to four such opportunities.
Maresca admitted that Man City has identified what needs to be done and will continue to add personnel before the transfer window closes. However, the problem is not only in the new names. The operation of the system also needs to be seriously considered.
Kovacic has not been effective in the coordinating role, while Nico O'Reilly often pushes high to form a 3-2 structure when Man City deploys the ball. This idea helps them have more players in midfield, but also leaves large gaps behind. Noni Madueke has many times had the opportunity to exploit that space.
Elliot Anderson also went through a difficult match. The 23-year-old player is expected to develop into an important central midfielder, but he has not been able to bring what Bernardo Silva or Rodri have done. Anderson, O'Reilly and Erling Haaland have all just returned after the post-World Cup break a few days before the match, so their performance below par can be partly explained.
However, the more worrying problem lies in Man City's defense. When Arsenal pushed up the squad, The Citizens also proactively put the defense forward, but the pressing ability was not synchronized. The space behind the defense therefore became a clear weakness.
Maresca was once criticized for his way of operating the high-pressing defense combined with unproactive pressing when he was still leading Chelsea. If not adjusted, this could continue to be a dangerous weakness in the Premier League.
The midfield makes Maresca even more headache after Rodri reached an agreement to move to Barcelona. Tijjani Reijnders is also preparing to leave, while the remaining options are mostly quite young.
Enzo Fernandez is still in the sights of the Etihad home team. The Argentine midfielder cannot directly replace Rodri, but can bring the qualities that Man City is lacking.
Of course, we should not rush to draw conclusions after just one match. This is the first time Man City has played officially under Maresca, while many players have not reached their best physical condition and the new squad needs time to adapt. The defense can also improve coordination through training and competition.
But the defeat at Cardiff still brings a clear warning. The gap between Man City and Arsenal does not seem to have narrowed as Maresca expected, and even shows signs of widening.
The Italian coach still has time and resources to reverse the situation, but it is best for Man City to get to work right now.
