Maresca's Honeymoon Is Over as Manchester City Problems Pile Up

Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better start at Manchester City. He won his first seven Premier League games in charge, a run that gave the club a strong platform and gave the new manager a stock of goodwill that few coaches get in their first weeks.

That goodwill has now started to wear thin. The winning streak is over, and the issues that were easy to overlook while results were good are harder to ignore. Each slip raises the same question: is this a short dip in form, or the first sign of weaknesses that opponents have now worked out?

This is the stage where a new manager's reputation is really tested. Early wins can hide a lot, including tired legs, untested combinations and tactical habits that have not yet been challenged. Once the fixtures get tougher and rivals have had time to study the team, those gaps tend to show. A manager who handles that phase well keeps the trust of his dressing room and the patience of the fans. One who does not can find a clean start turning into a long, difficult autumn.

Maresca's immediate job is therefore less about chasing the next result and more about diagnosing what has changed. That means looking closely at the team's shape out of possession, how the side copes when its first plan is not working, and whether the squad has the depth to keep its standards up through a demanding run of matches.

The honeymoon is clearly over. What comes next will show whether Maresca can turn a promising opening into a sustained challenge at the top of the table, or whether City's early form was the high point of a harder season.