Enzo Maresca has reflected on Manchester City’s 4-2 UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, calling it a good learning experience and pointing to the fine margins that characterised most of the 90 minutes.
Enzo Maresca and Man City can take inspiration from a valiant effort against PSG in midweek against Ipswich Town on Saturday.More Videos
The dust has largely settled on Manchester City’s 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and Enzo Maresca has delivered a measured verdict of the positives and negatives his squad can take from the match.
Speaking to the media, the Italian revealed he was back at his desk early on Thursday morning, working through footage of the game.
In the immediate aftermath of the match Maresca had stressed that he felt City were far from outclassed, instead being undone by a short spell in which the game slipped away from them.
The second-half, by contrast, was a vast improvement and could have yielded more goals for the home side. With the benefit of some distance from the event, reporters were keen to find out if the manager’s assessment had changed.
A game of fine margins
Speaking at his press conference ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Ipswich Town, Maresca was upbeat about the way Manchester City started the last match before falling behind.
“I reviewed the PSG game yesterday morning very early and I have the same feeling. Before we concede the first goal, we had the penalty from Rayan Cherki, the free-kick from Enzo, the corner that finished on crossbar before their goal,” Maresca said, as relayed by Sky Sports.
“Then we concede the first one and after one minute concede the second one. That moment we lost distance between players, we lost the balance. That can happen, thinking the other team is the best team in Europe.”
He is, of course, referring to one of the most brutal stretches of play City fans have witnessed from a visiting team in years. Two goals inside the space of just over a minute turned a competitive contest into a steep uphill battle, and PSG soon added a third before the break to leave City with a mountain to climb.
‘A good learning process’
While the first half unravelled in damaging fashion, the second sat far better with the manager. Maresca was full of praise for a second period in which Manchester City scored twice, struck the woodwork and threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback.
“The second half was fantastic. At the end we deserved something more. But I can learn many things from that. It’s a good learning process for me and for everyone.”
The statistics certainly back up his words; City mustered up the vast majority of their shots after the interval, when Haaland’s double hauled them back into the game twice to leave the champions hanging on. Against a side of PSG’s standing, such a response is surely encouraging for a manager still learning about his squad’s qualities and character.
The huddle at 3-0
One image has persevered on social media despite the ultimate defeat. With City falling three goals adrift, Erling Haaland and Rúben Dias led a huddle on the pitch, a show of unity in the middle of a chastening match. When asked about that moment, Maresca expressed content with his leaders taking charge.
“It was good. We had a difficult moment. They were trying to be even more together. I think it was okay,” he said.
With lessons learned and spirit seemingly intact, Maresca now turns his attention to Ipswich Town, where City will be hoping to continue the momentum of the midweek second half rather than regress to the chaos of the first 45 minutes.