Speaking to in-house media ahead of a wider press conference on Friday, Maresca made it clear that the dressing room is untroubled by the off-field turbulence. "Personally, I'm very calm to be honest," the Italian explained. "The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club."
The City boss emphasised the importance of keeping his players insulated from the surrounding controversy. He added: "We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side."
Addressing the squad's mentality upon returning from international duty, Maresca revealed a surprisingly upbeat mood. "The feeling is fantastic, to be honest," 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. 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."
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