Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has broken his silence on the club's guilty verdict in the Premier League's 115-charges case, declaring the mood inside the squad is "fantastic" and that his players "don't care too much about the noise" as they prepare for Sunday's trip to Liverpool.
Maresca speaks for the first time
Addressing the verdict for the first time in an interview with the club's in-house media, Maresca struck a defiant tone as City returned to training after the extended international break. "Personally I'm very calm to be honest," the former Chelsea boss said. "The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club. We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side."
City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges of financial rule-breaking brought against them by the Premier League, following an independent commission ruling that the club broke the rules across nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The club continue to plead their innocence and have submitted an appeal, but speculation remains rife over the sanctions they could face if that appeal fails.
Maresca, who arrived all smiles and gave a thumbs-up on his way into training on Thursday, was asked directly about the state of his squad. "The feeling is fantastic," he said. "The players are excited for the next two games. But especially they are excited because in this moment we are top of the league. The players are just focused on that."
Haaland's rallying cry
The manager's message echoed that of his star striker. Erling Haaland has urged his team-mates to "stick together and enjoy the ride and smile" ahead of the return to domestic action, as reported by the Sun.
Maresca revealed he reminded his squad of the club's Latin motto, 'Superbia In Proelio' — Pride in Battle — as they brace for what promises to be a gruelling few months both on and off the pitch. "They know what we can control is the football side," he said. "They are not worried at all about different things. They know their profession and they know that the noise is there, but they don't care too much about the noise."
The interview comes ahead of a testing run of fixtures. City travel to Anfield on Sunday for their first match since the verdict, where they can expect a ferocious reception from a home crowd fuelled by the feeling that past title races should have gone Liverpool's way. Maresca is due to face the media again at a press conference on Friday morning.
Wider fallout continues
The guilty verdict has already triggered wider reactions across the game. Pep Guardiola, who managed City for a decade before leaving in the summer, has backed the club's owners since the ruling and is set to attend their first home game since the verdict, according to BBC Sport.
Meanwhile, BBC Sport has reported that Premier League clubs are "concerned" about political interference in City's appeal following comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham — a sign of just how far the fallout from this case now reaches beyond the pitch.
UEFA, for its part, has moved to deny claims that City could be stripped of their Champions League titles, with the governing body insisting there are no plans to rewrite the history books.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Maresca's message is clear — whatever is happening in the hearing rooms, Manchester City's players will fight this crisis the only way they know how: on the pitch. Top of the league and heading to Anfield, Sunday could not be a bigger test of that resolve. Can City silence the noise where it matters most?
