Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has claimed Manchester City cannot win the Premier League this season after their 5-3 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium raised fresh defensive questions.
Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manchester City conceded thrice against Sunderland on Sunday.
More Videos
City maintained their perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League season with five wins from five and sit at the summit of the table heading into the international break.
But the manner of Sunday's victory, in which newly-promoted Sunderland scored three times and carried a persistent threat throughout, has prompted scrutiny of a defensive unit that looked considerably more exposed than it had in the opening weeks of the campaign.
A Brian Brobbey hat-trick underlined the quality of the visitors, with Manchester City forced to outscore rather than outmanoeuvre their opponents on an afternoon that offered a very different picture to the controlled performances that had characterised the early stages of the season.
Maresca has spoken throughout the opening weeks of his tenure at the Etihad Stadium about wanting his side to control games and press with intensity and structure.
Sunday's first-half at the Etihad Stadium, in which Sunderland scored twice and created further chances, represented a departure from that blueprint, something Rayan Cherki himself acknowledged in his post-match comments, noting that City needed to apply more pressure to the ball carrier and that the adjustment at half-time produced a more recognisable performance.
The Etihad Stadium was treated to an an eight-goal thriller on Sunday afternoon that went in the way of Manchester City, who remain perfect in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca.cityxtra.co.ukMatch Report and Player Ratings: Man City 5-3 Sunderland (Premier League)
The Etihad Stadium was treated to an an eight-goal thriller on Sunday afternoon that went in the way of Manchester City, who remain perfect in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca.
Merson Sends Warning to Man City: Top Teams Will Pick You Off With That Kind of Football
In a blog on Sky Sports, Merson wrote: "You can't keep scoring loads of goals to win football matches. You can't play that kind of football. Top teams will pick you off."
On the Sunderland result as a warning sign, the former Arsenal playmaker added: "Sunderland aren't the most high-scoring in the country but scored three - could've scored more. Going forward, Manchester City were good but at the back, all over the place.
"It just catches up, especially against the big boys. I remember what Enzo Maresca was like at Chelsea and he won't like that result. He doesn't like chaos."
On Manchester United outplaying City in the derby at Old Trafford, Merson said: "Yes, City beat Manchester United at Old Trafford with 10 men. But that's not hard? City were all over the place 11 vs 11, United were by far better.
"When it went 10 vs 11, you sit back a little, not that much pressure. If you go two banks of four and leave Erling Haaland up, that's hard to break."
What is the Wider Context of Merson's Comments?
Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in the same round of fixtures complicated Merson's position somewhat, with the Gunners also having an afternoon to forget, but the pundit maintained that Arsenal's troubles were circumstantial while City's reflected something deeper.
Five goals in a single home game against a newly-promoted side also says something about City's attacking depth. The question of defensive solidity, however, is one that Maresca will need to address when the squad returns from the international break.
The wider context for Merson's claim is a Premier League that already looks more open than the last two seasons. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham are among the sides expected to mount serious challenges, and the question of whether City's new-look squad has the defensive solidity to sustain a title challenge across 38 games is a legitimate one.
What is Next for Man City and Enzo Maresca?
City return from the with a trip to Liverpool on October 11 in what will undoubtedly be the biggest test Maresca's new-look side will face in what remains an embryonic stage of the Blues' transition from Pep Guardiola to the Italian.
Phil Foden is available again for the Paris Saint-Germain game on October 14 and the weeks that follow will offer a much sterner test of Merson's thesis than the opening month of the season has provided.
If City tighten defensively and maintain their scoring output with Foden back in the side, the pundit's verdict may look premature. If the defensive frailties seen against Sunderland persist against higher-quality opposition, it will look prophetic.