Maresca urges Manchester City to stay focused after guilty verdict

Enzo Maresca urged Manchester City to remain focused and positive after the club was found guilty of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. He delivered the message to his players on Thursday, at their first group training session since the verdict was made public. City’s international players returned that day, nine days after the decision was announced. The verdict came while most of the squad were away on international duty.

Maresca reportedly also asked his players not to let the crisis surrounding the club affect their attitude or concentration as the league resumes. City are due to face Liverpool, managed by Andoni Iraola, on Sunday. The Etihad Stadium is Manchester City’s home ground.

The manager said he had « complete » confidence in the club and was very calm about its guilt in the financial irregularities case. He also set out his position this way: « Personally, I am very calm. The club has been very clear and I have complete confidence in it. I understand the noise, but our focus is on what we can control, and what we can control is football. »

Asked about his players’ mood, Maresca described them as « fantastic ». He added that they were looking forward to the next two matches and were especially upbeat because City are currently top of the table. « The players are focused on that. They know football is what we can control and they are not worried about other things », he said, adding that outside noise was not distracting them from their work.

Erling Haaland echoed the message: « We have to support each other and keep a positive attitude. Whatever happens in life, you always have to smile. Stay positive, look forward, try to win games and enjoy the moment. »

The sporting picture reinforces the call for calm: Manchester City lead the Premier League after winning their first five games, three points ahead of Arsenal, the second-placed defending champions.