Enzo Maresca says his players “don’t care about the noise” surrounding Manchester City, while Erling Haaland has called for unity after the club were found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The manager and players reconvened on Thursday after spending the international break apart when the news of the club’s predicament was made public.
City maintain their innocence and have launched an appeal against the ruling, but if that fails could face a severe punishment. In the meantime, the staff and players are showing a strong front as they prepare for their first game in three weeks when they face Liverpool on Sunday.
“Personally I’m very calm to be honest,” Maresca told the club’s official website. “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 have started life under Maresca with five straight Premier League wins and sit top of the table but the on-field success has been overshadowed by the off-field matters. Players have sought reassurance about the future of the club and were able were to sit down collectively for the first time since the news was announced, as they begin preparations for what is expected to be a fiery visit to Anfield.
“The feeling is fantastic, to be honest,” said the Italian. “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. They know what we can control is the football side – 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. They are just focused in this moment on how we can beat Liverpool and how, together with the fans, we can try to win in Anfield.”
Haaland, meanwhile, has spoken of the need for everyone associated with City to unite in this difficult period for the embattled club.
“We have to stick together,” the striker told Sky Sports News. “We have to stay with each other, and we have to stay positive. No matter what happens in life, we always have to have a smile. So we have to stay positive, look ahead, and try to win football games and try to enjoy the situation and win the game. We have to stick together; we have to spread the love to each other. So yeah: stick together, and enjoy the ride and smile.”
The Norwegian is following in the footsteps of his father, Alf-Inge, who played for City in a less successful era, so has witnessed the changes that have come since the takeover in 2008. “I care a lot about City, I have to say,” he said. “I care a lot about the fans because I’m a fan myself and I feel with them as well.”
Pep Guardiola is expected to attend City’s first home match since they were found guilty when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
after newsletter promotion
It would be the former head coach’s first return since leaving in the summer after 10 years. Guardiola’s attendance is regarded as a show of support for City’s hierarchy after the guilty verdict that has rocked the club.
Guardiola wrote on social media last week: “I want every single fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano, the chief executive], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
The Catalan took on a role as a City Football Group ambassador when he departed as head coach. Guardiola was a close ally of Soriano, who brought him to Manchester, the pair having worked together at Barcelona.
Guardiola faced regular questions during his tenure over City’s financial conduct after they were charged by the Premier League in 2023 and always reiterated his belief in what he was told by those above him.
Meanwhile, his former Real Madrid rival José Mourinho joked that he may not live to see the end of City’s legal battle. Mourinho managed Manchester United from 2016 and led them to a second-placed Premier League finish behind Pep Guardiola’s City in 2018.
“I would rather laugh about it,” Mourinho said, when asked about the case in an interview with Italy’s Corriere dello Sport. “I think we will eventually get an ending, but we are both in our 60s [Guardiola is actually 55] and we’ll need to be lucky enough to still be around when the final verdict arrives. There will be a verdict, then appeals, then more appeals.”
