Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca took some of the sting out of a serious situation for the club with an impressive performance
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 9: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Manchester City, speaks to the press ahead of the Premier League clash against Liverpool at Manchester City Football Academy on October 9, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
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Enzo Maresca knew that it would be pointless trying to avoid comparisons with Pep Guardiola when he took the Manchester City job in the summer. But he can't have imagined that, just a few months into the role, the cross-examinations would stretch to expertise in managing a major off-field crisis.
It was Guardiola in the unfortunate position of being in the chair when the Premier League charges first dropped in 2023, and Maresca for the guilty verdict. The Italian took a different approach to his predecessor, but the outcome was similarly effective.
Guardiola had set a high bar too - as with most things he has done. He stormed through that press conference with calculated fury, quoting Julius Caesar as he accused others of condemning City and damaging their reputation without a trial, and pledged to go down to League One with Paul Dickov and Mike Summerbee if the club were found guilty.
That was everything that City fans who had been wavering that week - and they had been - needed to hear as Guardiola's passion won them round. The fact that the former manager is flying in for the PSG game next week shows that his passionate defence continues even after the verdict.
If Guardiola's response to what he saw as bodyline bowling was to try and smash every ball for six, Maresca was more than happy to leave a few and smile back at whoever had sent it down. For a press conference that could have escalated, the cheery manager of the coach was disarming for the seriousness of the situation and meant that there was never a need for the communications director to attempt to change the subject.
Even when it took until near the last of the 30 questions asked and a Norwegian reporter asked about Erling Haaland's fitness, when Maresca laughed and said 'Finally!' it didn't feel as if he was vexed by what had come before. He understood why the questions were coming and answered as he saw fit.
Such a relaxed appearance should not disguise the strength of his quotes either. The City boss said that he still trusted the club, that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else, and that even if the guilty verdict had been delivered before he had joined he still would have signed up.
There were also some significant moments where he opted not to directly answer the question that had been asked: had he read the verdict, had he seen the 'irrefutable' evidence that has been refuted, has he spoken with Sheikh Mansour and should it have been somebody else in the chair answering questions on this. Alongside this, some of his answers left the room wondering, such as has Guardiola really decided to come next week without speaking to him first?
However, Friday's internet and Saturday's back pages will be feature Maresca and City prominently with the messages that they want to get across. Whatever the uncertainty that is still around the club, Maresca's stock continues to shoot up.