Maresca praises Manchester City’s squad depth after Champions League win over Porto

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said he feels “very lucky” to have a squad packed with high-quality players after his side began their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Porto.

Erling Haaland scored both goals for the English side, heading City in front in the 46th minute before adding a second with his right foot in the first minute of stoppage time.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Maresca praised the contribution of the players who featured and said the strength of his squad makes it easier to give everyone playing time.

“I am very lucky because most, if not all, of the players in the squad are good players,” he said. “For a manager, it is easy because you can give all the players minutes. The players who played were very good.”

The result gave Manchester City their first three points in the competition and represented an important away win against Porto. City returned from Estadio do Dragao in Lisbon with a clean sheet and a two-goal victory.

Maresca said his team would continue to improve as they became more familiar with the methods being introduced.

“We will reach what we want with time,” he said. “It has only been a month and a half since we started working together. We are trying to do different things, and when there is space behind the defensive line, we have to exploit it and play into it because we have players who can create danger.”

He also highlighted the attacking options available to him, pointing to the return of Jeremy Doku as another boost for the squad.

“Haaland is there, Semenyo is there, and when Doku comes back he will be there as well, and we also have Ndiaye, so we will make use of these options,” Maresca added.

Although pleased with the result, the Manchester City manager felt his side could have been more clinical, particularly before half-time. He nevertheless believed the visitors had done enough to merit the win.

“I think we could have scored more goals, especially in the first half, but overall we deserved to win the match,” he said. “We created enough chances to win and we did not concede many chances.”

Maresca acknowledged that playing away from home in the Champions League inevitably brings pressure, making him satisfied with the overall performance.

“It is normal to come here and be under some pressure, so overall I am happy with the performance,” he said.

The manager also accepted that Porto were always likely to create opportunities during the match.

“If you think you are going to come to this stadium and play without allowing the opponent to create anything, that is not realistic,” Maresca said. “It is normal for them to create some chances.”

Despite those moments, Manchester City’s defence held firm, while Haaland’s two finishes secured a winning start to their Champions League campaign.