Enzo Maresca has delivered an honest response to the criticism of Manchester City’s post-match celebrations following their dominant 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The celebrations sparked backlash on social media, coming just days after City received a guilty verdict over serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
Maresca has refused to apologise for his players’ celebrations, with the City squad and coaching staff joining travelling supporters in jubilant scenes at the final whistle.
The timing attracted criticism from some fans, given the club’s ongoing appeal against the ruling and its continued insistence that it has done nothing wrong.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca defended his team’s reaction, saying: “”Criticised for what? We won 0-3 at Anfield. What do you want us to do?
“I am here today; the players are here today to win tomorrow. We work every day to win games. It is the only thing that we can think and focus on.
“The rest is just things from outside which we need to deal [with]. We were so, so happy from inside the pitch and the dressing room.”
Andoni Iraola must lift his players after a disappointing afternoon at Anfield ended in a heavy defeat, with Ryan Gravenberch’s sending-off just after the hour mark proving a turning point.
Liverpool travel to Austria to face LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday, beginning a demanding run of eight games before the November international break.
Their Premier League schedule is particularly challenging, with fixtures against Brentford, Brighton and defending champions Arsenal, followed by a trip to Crystal Palace and a home clash against Manchester United after the November international break.
With Champions League meetings against Villarreal and Fenerbahce, plus a Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea, the coming weeks will provide a significant test of Iraola’s squad and Liverpool’s ability to bounce back.
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.