Enzo Maresca has admitted he would describe Manchester City as “cheats” if he were a Manchester United or Arsenal fan. The manager’s comments came as he suggested it had been harder for City’s supporters to deal with the scandal surrounding the club than it had been for him or the players.
Maresca guided City to an impressive 3-0 win at Liverpool on Sunday in their first game since the club were found guilty of more than 100 charges related to breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. He was asked whether the performance was down to the team being brought closer together by the guilty verdict.
“It probably has been more tough for our fans than for the players or for me as it’s more complicated,” he said, “because if I am an Arsenal fan or a United fan and you are a City fan, I can tell you: ‘Hey, my friend, you cheat’ – or this kind of thing. But we were happy at the end of the game and inside the changing room. We were very happy celebrating the three points because we know how difficult it is at Anfield.”
City, who have appealed against the independent commission’s ruling and continue to protest their innocence, have drawn criticism for the exuberant manner of Sunday’s celebration. Maresca defended the revelry but is conscious of the need to focus on Wednesday’s visit of Paris Saint-Germain in their second Champions League game of the season, following their 2-0 victory at Porto.
“We won 0-3 at Anfield,” Maresca said. “Even if it was 0-1 it would be exactly the same. We are here today to win tomorrow’s game and we work every day to win games. It’s the only thing that we can think; we can be focused. The rest is just things from outside that we need to deal with but we were so happy inside the pitch and you cannot imagine inside the changing room.
“I promise you that I stress a lot about the gameplan and how we can train every day but I don’t stress about things I don’t [control]. The message to the players will be the same. We know how serious the situation is but at the same time it’s not something that we can do [anything about].”
Rúben Dias, City’s captain, echoed his manager. “When you build yourself as a player, you build yourself against any noise,” the defender said. “Personally, and I feel like I speak for the whole group, we’re very calm. We trust the club, and we’re very focused on enjoying football. People don’t love us winning and we love to win.”
Pep Guardiola is expected to be at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in a show of support for City’s owners. “In case he’s coming, it’s a nice feeling,” Maresca said of his predecessor. “Especially for him, because this has been his house for 10 years. It’s exciting for everyone.”
Luis Enrique, PSG’s head coach, said City should keep all the trophies won from 2009-18, the timeframe of the guilty charges. “The first time that you hear [about the verdict], is it is a surprise,” he said. “But we need to respect the process and wait for the final decision. The authorities are responsible for making these decisions. But speaking only about football, they deserved those trophies. I love their football. Beyond that, we have to wait for the judges’ decision.”
Luis Enrique played with Guardiola at Barcelona. The 56-year-old was asked what he would say to his former teammate. “Nothing serious,” he said. “The trophies you win on the pitch remain on the pitch. They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction. But we have to wait. The things I will say to Pep I will do in private.”
City claimed three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and three League Cups in the nine-year span.
