Jeremy Doku admits Man City made life ‘difficult’ for themselves in shock defeat to Nottingham Forest

Jeremy Doku has offered a frank assessment of Manchester City's performance following their disappointing 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest. The Belgian international believes a lacklustre opening period left the Premier League champions with too much work to do at the City Ground.

City’s rhythm was disrupted almost immediately on Saturday as Forest raced into a commanding lead. The hosts utilised their home advantage to full effect, scoring twice in the first 18 minutes through Jair Cunha and former City academy graduate Liam Delap. The early two-goal cushion forced Enzo Maresca’s side to chase the game in a hostile environment, ultimately leading to a result that sees them slip six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Reflecting on the poor start, Doku did not hold back when assessing where the game was lost for the visitors. The winger acknowledged that the uphill battle was entirely self-inflicted due to their lack of intensity during the opening exchanges. "First half we were behind 2-0, playing away to a side like this and losing 2-0 is making things difficult for ourselves. We are used to playing every two days. That’s not a reason. If you ask me for the reason for our first half I don’t know. We go behind very early in the game and that changes a lot," said Doku on the club's official website.

City did manage to show signs of life after the interval when Rayan Cherki produced a moment of individual brilliance. The mercurial Frenchman produced a piece of individual brilliance out of absolutely nothing, unleashing a sensational strike that nestled beautifully into the top corner. For a fleeting moment, the travelling faithful were sent into raptures, suddenly daring to believe that one of City's trademark, backs-against-the-wall comebacks was genuinely on the cards.

However, that flicker of optimism was brutally and abruptly extinguished. Pushing high up the pitch in desperate search of an equaliser, City left gaping holes at the back, and Oliver Glasner’s ruthless outfit did not hesitate to punish them. Capitalising on the visitors' disjointed offensive positioning, Liam Delap stepped up to deliver the final dagger, showcasing his predatory instincts with another clinical finish that killed the contest dead and firmly shut the door on any hopes of a revival.

The Belgian international was clear that the squad must take responsibility for their failure to match Forest's energy from the first whistle. He pointed out that the complexion of the match would have been entirely different had City applied themselves from the start with the same urgency they showed after the break. The defeat marks a rare stumbling block for Maresca, who has generally enjoyed a strong start to his tenure.

"We reacted too late. If we had started the game like this it would have been different. In the second-half we played without brakes, we were very offensive and tried to create things. We scored early but a team like this are very dangerous on counter attacks," Doku explained.

With domestic football pausing for the international break, Doku believes the timing could be beneficial for the squad to reset. The hiatus provides a chance for reflection before City return to action against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium. Having previously maintained a perfect record at home before a recent slip against Brighton, the team will be desperate to regain their momentum in front of their own fans.

"We need to be fresh minds, start again and analyse what we can do better and move forward. The international break comes at the right moment for us to analyse and come back refreshed,” the winger concluded.