Man City charges: Maresca says club, players, fans are ‘more together’

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says he feels no stress over the club’s financial charges, insisting the controversy has brought the club, team and supporters closer together.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Ipswich, Maresca said City were focused on their performance and could not control the debate surrounding the case. An independent commission found the club guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules; City deny wrongdoing and have appealed the decision.

“Since the noise, from my personal point of view, I can see the fans, the club, the team more together, for sure,” Maresca said.

City have won at Anfield since the verdict was announced but lost to Paris Saint-Germain in a midweek Champions League match. Maresca said the players’ response had been positive and described Saturday’s game as another opportunity to collect three points and extend their winning run.

“There is noise around the club but we need to try to make our noise. That means win at Anfield, try to win tomorrow against Ipswich,” he said. “This is the way we can make our noise. A different kind of noise; we’re not able to control that.”

Asked how he was coping with the situation, Maresca said: “I’m very happy. I don’t feel any kind of stress about the outside situation because it’s something I don’t control. I just focus on how we can try to win the next games.”

The City manager said he trusted the club’s leadership and had spoken with officials about the case. He added that he preferred to wait for an outcome before judging the situation.

Maresca also described City’s 4-2 defeat by PSG as a learning experience, saying his side lost its balance after conceding twice in quick succession but responded well in the second half.

He warned that Ipswich would pose a difficult challenge after having a full week to prepare, while City played in Europe just 48 hours earlier. Victory would give City a chance to extend their league-winning run to seven matches.