Maresca refuses to speculate on the consequences of Manchester City verdict

“We won the Championship with Leicester, so if we are in League One, we’ll see,” Enzo Maresca said. The coach made the remarks in his first media appearance after the verdict found Manchester City guilty of charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules. He defended the club and said he would not stray from its position: complete trust and no speculation.

“There is a process underway and, at this moment, I completely trust the club,” he said. He also explained that his confidence in the people and structure of the club was among the reasons he joined: “I trust the club because I trust the people. That is also why I joined. There is no other club in the world where I would want to be.” He said he had complete faith in the owners, the chief executive, the sporting director and the entire organisation.

Many of the questions focused on the possible consequences of the club’s appeal. Asked about the possibility of an unfavourable outcome in the process, Maresca replied: “And what if they win the appeal? It’s the same! We are predicting the future.” He also pointed to his experience with Leicester while stressing that it did not reveal what would happen next: “Again, we are thinking about something we don’t know…”

The coach said that he and the players could control only the football, and that this was where their focus lay. Their job, he added, was also to manage the noise and concentrate on winning matches. The remarks came at a Liverpool press conference.