Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has been given valuable time during the international break to assess and correct the problems that have emerged within his squad.

Maresca enjoyed an outstanding beginning to life after replacing Pep Guardiola, guiding City to seven straight Premier League victories. However, that impressive run has been followed by three successive defeats, leaving the champions six points behind leaders Arsenal.

City’s troubles have also developed against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding their financial case. The club were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations in September and are still waiting for the outcome of their appeal.

That situation raises an important question: are City’s recent problems partly psychological, or are there tactical weaknesses that Maresca must solve?

The mental impact of uncertainty

Sports psychologist Dr Paul McCarthy, who has spent 25 years working with elite clubs across England, Scotland, Germany and France, believes events away from football can influence a player’s performance.

He says players naturally discuss developments affecting them and that uncertainty can gradually affect confidence across a squad.

“Players are like everyone else – they talk about what is going on in their own lives and things that are topical, especially about uncertain events,” McCarthy told BBC Sport.

“It generates communication with a lot of stories and rumour and over time if there are enough losses, there often becomes a reduced collective efficacy.

“A collective efficacy is a squad’s belief in their ability to do what they need to do [to win] and because of their success in the past, that is often shaken a little by consecutive losses.”

City began the campaign at the summit but have since slipped to third, with Arsenal and Brighton moving above them.

Following the announcement of the financial verdict during the previous international break, City responded with victories over 10-man Liverpool at Anfield and Ipswich at the Etihad.

Their fortunes then changed.

Defeats against Aston Villa, Brighton and Nottingham Forest exposed weaknesses at the back, while individual errors played a major part in their downfall.

During their opening seven league matches, City had not conceded a goal directly resulting from an individual mistake. In their last three games, however, four errors have contributed to goals.

The defensive concerns are reflected in their statistics. City have conceded 13 goals in their first 10 league matches, their worst record at this point of a season since 2008-09, when they had allowed 16.

Asked whether the uncertainty surrounding the appeal could affect the players’ concentration, McCarthy said: “Yeah, that would be a very reasonable human response.

“When people are uncertain about their future, that uncertainty leads to a lack of perceived control, so uncertainty is often more stressful than bad news and the research shows that.

“So while you are waiting and you don’t know the outcome, you are uncertain of where you are and there is that lack of control for a lot of people – they come to training, they play their games and it’s outside of their responsibility.”

Anderson facing a difficult midfield assignment

Maresca’s tactical approach is another area attracting attention.

During his time at Chelsea, the Italian explained his preference for moving his team from a 3-2-2-3 structure into a 3-1-6 formation. He had previously used the attacking setup against Inter Milan to create numerical superiority against their back five.

At City, the system has become a more regular feature, with an attacking midfielder effectively replacing a second holding player.

The approach is designed to give City greater attacking presence, but its success depends heavily on whether the players can perform the roles demanded of them.

One of the biggest concerns involves Elliot Anderson, who has been asked to operate as the team’s deepest midfielder following Rodri’s departure.

Anderson is naturally a mobile midfielder who relies heavily on his energy and physical qualities. At Nottingham Forest, he regularly pressed opponents, defended aggressively and joined attacks.

Maresca is now attempting to turn him into a more disciplined holding midfielder, a transformation that is unlikely to happen immediately.

Rodri himself required time to master the position after arriving at City.

The problem is not necessarily the decision to develop Anderson in that role. Instead, City have increasingly been vulnerable in central areas when the midfielder moves away from his position.

Anderson has continued to rely on his instincts, often leaving the holding position to press or follow an opponent. Intelligent opposition teams have exploited that tendency by pulling him away before attacking the space he leaves behind.

City’s aggressive, often man-oriented pressing system also places considerable demands on Anderson because his midfield teammates do not always provide enough physical support.

When City have the ball, Enzo Fernandez frequently makes forward runs into dangerous areas. While those movements add another attacking threat, they can leave City with only two or three players behind the ball.

If opponents survive the initial press, they can therefore attack a relatively exposed defence.

Maresca has argued that the key issue is not necessarily the formation itself but what happens when City lose possession.

After the defeat by Nottingham Forest, he said: “You concede transitions when you lose the ball, and when you don’t win duels.”

Problems extending beyond midfield

There are also concerns about the players tasked with building attacks from deep.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is not particularly recognised for his ability with the ball at his feet, while City’s defenders have also struggled at times when attempting to play through pressure.

Several costly mistakes while building from the back have contributed to the team’s recent problems.

Under Guardiola last season, City attempted to reduce some of those risks by giving their midfielders greater responsibility in possession.

The departures of Rodri and, particularly, Bernardo Silva have made that task more difficult.

Bernardo was often willing to drop towards his own defence, receive possession and carry City into midfield, effectively helping the team escape pressure without relying entirely on a deeper midfielder.

Anderson possesses plenty of quality, but he cannot independently provide the same solution Bernardo offered in possession.

Ayyoub Bouaddi could potentially provide another option. His ability to operate under pressure was evident when he faced Brazil’s pressing game at the World Cup.

A problem Maresca must solve quickly

City’s poor run appears to have several contributing factors rather than one straightforward explanation.

The uncertainty surrounding the club’s financial case could affect confidence, while tactical adjustments following the departure of key midfielders have also left weaknesses that opponents are increasingly targeting.

Maresca’s decision to play a more attacking system has brought greater ambition in possession, but it has also increased the consequences of losing the ball.

With City now trailing Arsenal and having suffered three defeats in a row, the Italian faces an important period ahead.

The international break gives him an opportunity to restore confidence, improve the team’s defensive structure and find a midfield balance capable of protecting City while maintaining their attacking threat.