Paul Merson believes Manchester City cannot win the Premier League title if they continue to play the same way.

Under Maresca's leadership, Manchester City started the season strongly, securing five consecutive victories after beating Sunderland 5-3.

With a three-week international break approaching, Maresca's side hold a 3-point lead over defending champions Arsenal. Arsenal suffered a devastating 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

Here's how "Magic Man" Merson explains why Arsenal still hold the initiative in the Premier League this season.

"Manchester City's Defence is an Absolute Disaster"

Merson said: "I was watching the match thinking, if Manchester City could put in a dominant performance and demolish Sunderland convincingly, their momentum could change dramatically."

"Arsenal suffered a terrible defeat, and it was completely deserved. I thought then that they would easily win the title and not lose many matches. Was I wrong?"

"But after watching Manchester City play against Sunderland, I thought: 'No, I wasn't wrong. Manchester City cannot win the title at all.'"

Merson continued: "You can't always win by scoring crazy goals; you can't play like that. Elite teams will exploit your weaknesses."

"Sunderland isn't the highest-scoring team in England, but they scored 3 goals and could have scored more. Manchester City's attack was good, but their defence was an absolute disaster. This problem will come back to haunt them sooner or later, especially against strong teams."

"I still remember Maresca's style when he was at Chelsea; he certainly won't be happy with this result. He hates chaos and isn't the type of manager who handles chaotic situations well."

"Yes, Manchester City beat Manchester United with 10 men at Old Trafford. But what's so difficult about that? When it was 11 against 11, Manchester City was completely disorganised, and Manchester United were the better team."

"Once it became 10 against 11, Manchester City could drop deeper, and the pressure wasn't as intense. As long as they set up two lines of four and leave Haaland up front, it's difficult for opponents to break through."

Was it a major mistake by Arteta not to start Lewis-Skelly against Brighton?

Merson said: "I really want to ask Arteta why he started Bruno Guimarães against Brighton instead of Myles Lewis-Skelly."

"Did he think this match would be easy? Did he think Brighton, after coming from 0-2 down to beat Manchester United on Wednesday, would be tired?"

"As a result, that lineup completely backfired. Arsenal's midfield was overrun and dominated, which led to a crushing defeat."

"Bruno is a good player. If the team plays with a low block, it's fine to start him. If the team controls possession and has plenty of time on the ball, nobody is better than him. Technically he's excellent, passes with precision, and has a high football IQ."

"I can't help but wonder if Arteta was thinking on the way back on the coach: 'This time I picked the wrong guy.' Bruno put in a brilliant performance a few weeks ago as a substitute against Aston Villa; he could control the ball firmly, pass flexibly, link play, and decisively control the tempo of the match. If he had played that way in this match, the result could have been different."

"I'm not blaming Bruno for Arsenal's defeat at all, not in the slightest. I simply don't understand why Arteta felt the need to change the starting lineup in such a difficult match."

"No matter how good you are, even if you're a full international with many accolades, once the opponent presses you and forces you to simply react, the nature of the game changes completely."

"If you had plenty of time on the ball, even I, a retired player, could play. But Brighton's pressing was fantastic; their performance was outstanding. You have to give them credit; they really are a very good team."

Traducido por IA.

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