Maresca says Manchester City have united after financial-rule verdict

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says the club’s supporters, players and hierarchy have become “more together” since the Premier League found them guilty of financial-rule breaches.

City were ruled to have committed serious breaches between 2009 and 2018 on 29 September. They were also found guilty of most of the charges relating to their alleged failure to co-operate with the investigation.

The club denies any wrongdoing and submitted an appeal against the verdict on 1 October.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the case, City have won their opening six Premier League matches under Maresca. Their latest success came at Anfield, where they beat Liverpool 3-0 in a hostile atmosphere.

The victory followed Maresca’s call for his players to generate their own “noise” on the pitch and avoid being distracted by events away from football.

“I think probably since the noise we can see, I can see from my personal point of view the fans, the club, the team more together for sure,” said the Italian.

Maresca said he understood why the financial case had prompted widespread discussion, but urged people to wait until the legal process had reached its conclusion before making definitive judgments.

“I don’t have any problem with people judging the situation,” he said. “I think from my point of view the wise way to judge the situation is always to wait for the final words.”

“But I can understand that now people need to speak about this situation.”

City were charged in February 2023 after a four-year Premier League investigation. They continue to maintain their innocence, while Maresca has repeatedly voiced his confidence in the club’s leadership.

The team’s impressive run was interrupted in midweek, when they were beaten 4-2 by reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Their next match is against Ipswich in the Premier League on Saturday. Victory would make Maresca the first manager to win his opening seven matches in charge of a Premier League club.

Pep Guardiola won his first six league matches as City manager in the 2016/17 season, but no manager has gone beyond that total at the start of a Premier League reign.

City are three points clear of defending champions Arsenal at the top of the table. Maresca said extending the winning streak mattered more to him than setting an individual record.

“To be honest, I’m just focused on how we can win the game that gives us the opportunity to go seven games in a row, so 21 points, that is important,” he said.

“These kind of records, I think they can be good if at the end of the season you achieve something, otherwise they are not important.”