Manchester City fell late on to a Callum Hudson-Odoi goal, as Nottingham Forest extended their lead over the Blues by four points.
The English winger squeezed the ball into Edderson’s near post after an excellent switch from Morgan Gibbs-White to give Forest a big advantage in their push to play in Europe for the first time since 1996.
Down the other end, City were wasteful in attack and created very few chances, and the Forest sucker punch seemed inevitable
Here are three things we learned as City lost to Forest:
Substitutions changed the game in Forest’s favour
Nottingham Forest FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League Photo by Dave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images
They may have been enforced or not, but City’s substitutes ultimately turned out to be the decisive factor in the game for Forest.
Matheus Nunes was having a poor game at right back, so replacing him with Rico Lewis did make sense, though the 20-year-old struggled when he came on.
But it was bringing on Mateo Kovacic for Nico Gonzalez that really swung the game.
Kovacic is an excellent ball carrier and is positive and direct, but his presence on the field, particularly as the only defensive midfielder, opens up the game.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been the best midfielder in the Premier League this season at driving through midfield and playing on the transition, and he had a field day as soon as Nico came off, and it was ultimately his assist and a Forest transition that gave Nuno’s side the win.
Kevin de Bruyne and Omar Marmoush came on to give City the chance of winning the game, but Jeremy Doku, who was poor throughout, wasn’t replaced, with Savinho and Phil Foden making way instead.
That seemed the most confusing to me, though ultimately it was the players on the pitch that weren’t creating, and if you can’t score, you won’t win.
It’s not just the old players under performing
Nottingham Forest FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
It’s been commonly said that the reason for City’s demise this season has been older players underperforming and having lost an edge from their game, and that is somewhat true.
Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne have all certainly lost the edge to their game, though De Bruyne somewhat gets away with it due to his supreme legendary status at the club.
To blame things entirely on age isn’t right either.
Gundogan was 32 when he captained City to the treble. Walker was also 32 when he locked up Vinicius Junior in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League semi final. Fernandinho was still starting regularly for City at 35, in their run to the Champions League final in 2021.
Bernardo and Kovacic right now are both 30, and shouldn’t have lost as much physically as they have done.
De Bruyne is only 33, but has been significantly slowed down by hamstring injuries, so it’s understandable that he’s declined.
These players will be phased out across the next two summer transfer windows. What concerns me more is the younger ones that don’t look up to scratch.
Doku and Savinho both blow hot and cold. Savinho is only in his first year, and Doku pulls out the occasional brilliant performance.
But both are extremely frustrating to watch, and ultimately much inferior to the Leroy Sane/Raheem Sterling wing pairing between 2017 and 2019, and even the treble winning combination of Bernardo and Jack Grealish.
Lewis is really struggling right now too, and he could be at risk to leave this summer if he doesn’t show more of the form of the last two seasons and the beginning of this campaign.
Nunes isn’t trusted in midfield and isn’t a right back either, and James McAtee will struggle to make the matchday squad when fit. Both could go this summer.
And even Phil Foden, officially the best player in the Premier League last season, has been poor this season, as he approaches his 25th birthday a few days after the end of the season.
This is evidence enough to show that age, if something of an issue, isn’t the only reason for City’s demise.
A number of players regularly starting are having poor seasons, are too inconsistent, or simply aren’t good enough for a team challenging for the league title.
More creativity is needed in the midfield
Nottingham Forest FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
It’s not often that I write a piece with no positives, but the Forest game was a real sign of City’s decline as a top team.
Other than De Bruyne, none of their midfielders or forwards can be properly described as creative.
Foden and Marmoush are goal scorers, Savinho and Doku are dribblers, and Kovacic, Gundogan and Bernardo all play too deep to offer much going forwards.
Grealish never gets a look in nowadays, and Claudio Echeverri isn’t ready yet. City are crying out for a creative midfielder, one that can unlock a defence with a pass.
Unlike Liverpool, none of City’s defenders offer much of an attacking threat either, with Josko Gvardiol perhaps the only exception.
It’s clearer than ever that a rebuild is needed this summer; attacking midfield, right back, the wings and central midfield are areas that must be addressed.