3 brutal takeaways from Man City's nightmare against Nottingham Forest

Manchester City fans should have expected a victory on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, but whether that win came easily wasn't clear. For one, City has been struggling to get goals from anyone not named Erling Haaland, and Forest didn't normally give up many.

Since Premier League play began, Forest has allowed more than two goals only once, and one goal or fewer six times. This implied that if City was going to get one more win entering the second international break, the affair was going to be a low-scoring one. That implication would prove to be false.

A win would be a win, though, and after beginning the Premier League season unbeaten through seven matches, City had dropped its last two. The Blues needed a win, especially against a club that is currently set to be relegated. Instead, Forest earned the win 3-1.

Replacing a legend is never going to be easy, of course, but Maresca definitely did his best with City's excellent start to the season. The quality of a manager is tested by how well they do when things don't go as smoothly.

For the Blues, things are not going smoothly. The loss to Forest is City's third straight in Premier League play. The club looks disjointed and at a loss for answers during any given match. A better-managed club wouldn't have such issues.

The Pep Guardiola days seem like centuries ago, even though he just stepped down last year. Even Pep had some struggles in the last couple of seasons, but never the highest of highs and then the lowest of lows. That kind of inconsistency isn't easily fixed.

With the club facing likely sanctions for being found guilty of breaking Premier League rules, and potentially star players leaving to recoup some of the losses in income if the club is relegated, the best of Man City might have already been seen before the first international break. It might be years before City fans are so happy again.

Nottingham Forest hadn't scored at home all season. No team had won their first seven league matches and then lost their next three, since Sheffield Wednesday during the 1904/05 season. There is no way to sugarcoat the loss. City losing to Forest was ugly.

But it also shouldn't have been unexpected. Maresca appears lost in finding a solid XI, saying that the club has lost a lot of good players who deserve a chance to play. That has led to a club that looks out of sync, with no obvious path to improvement.