Enzo Maresca says Manchester City's supporters have probably suffered more than his players or staff from the fallout of the Premier League's financial charges case — and he has refused to apologise for the way his team celebrated Sunday's 3-0 win at Liverpool.
Speaking on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad, Maresca told reporters the taunts aimed at City fans by rival supporters had made the case harder for them than for anyone inside the club, according to Reuters. Liverpool fans booed City's players at Anfield and chanted about relegation amid speculation over sanctions, after an independent commission found City guilty of breaching the league's financial rules on the majority of the charges. City have denied all wrongdoing and have appealed the decision.
The fans bore the brunt
Maresca's argument was a human one. Players and staff can shut out the noise inside a training ground, but supporters live with the verdict in their everyday lives — at work, in the pub and in school playgrounds, where rival fans can throw the cheating accusation at them directly. It was, the Italian suggested, probably tougher for them than for the players or for him.
On the pitch, his team have done everything asked of them. The win at Anfield — sealed by second-half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off — preserved City's perfect Premier League start and moved them three points clear at the top. It was also an eighth straight win in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's successor.
No apology for Anfield
Maresca also pushed back at criticism of City's exuberant celebrations in front of the travelling fans at Anfield. His position was blunt: his team had won 3-0 at one of the hardest grounds in Europe, the joy in the dressing room was real, and the scoreline — not the courtroom — was the only thing his players could control. He described himself as completely calm about the verdict, insisting he only stresses about game plans and the things inside his control. Reports suggest the appeal will be heard by a new commission before Christmas, with a fresh verdict to follow — a timeline that will hang over the whole season.
So what: PSG, Guardiola's return and a perfect game
Wednesday brings no escape from the spotlight — it brings a bigger one. PSG arrive at the Etihad as back-to-back European champions, and Maresca admitted City will need what he called a perfect game against the side he rates as the best team in Europe. City opened their campaign with a 2-0 win at Porto, and Jeremy Doku is pushing to start after his decisive cameo at Anfield, while PSG have their own fitness boosts with Dembele among those returning.
Adding to the occasion, Guardiola is expected back at the Etihad for the first time since stepping down last summer. Maresca told Sports Mole the stadium is still Guardiola's house after ten years and twenty trophies — and that his return is exciting for everyone, fans included.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Maresca is playing the only card City have left — defiance with results attached. Six league wins from six and a statement victory at Anfield do not answer a single charge, but they have changed the question from whether this team will crumble to whether anyone can stop it before the lawyers do. If City beat the European champions on Wednesday, with Guardiola watching from the stand that bears his name, the noise will only grow — and so will the sense that this season is heading for the most extraordinary ending English football has ever seen, one way or the other. Can City keep winning while the appeal decides their future? Tell us in the comments.
