Maresca says Manchester City deserved more after second-half improvement against Paris Saint-Germain

Enzo Maresca said Manchester City were left to regret their first-half performance after losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain, despite creating enough chances after the break to claim a better result.

City fell three goals behind before half-time, but Maresca felt his side responded strongly after the interval following changes to their pressing approach.

“I think we started the match well until the first goal, then we conceded the second one a minute later, which created a bad feeling inside the team,” Maresca told TNT Sports.

“We were much better in the second half and perhaps deserved something more.”

Maresca said the adjustments made at half-time were limited but helped Manchester City improve their performance and generate more opportunities.

“We made some changes at half-time and created enough chances to deserve a better result,” he said.

“The changes were simple, concerning the way we pressed, and I think we lost some balance.”

Although Manchester City were three goals behind at the interval, Maresca believed their second-half chances should have led to a more favourable outcome.

“Even when you are three goals behind at half-time, the number of chances we created in the second half was enough for us to deserve more,” he added.

The Manchester City manager also stressed that his players needed to be more clinical in front of goal without allowing their attacking approach to affect the team’s shape.

“You have to be decisive in front of goal, but without losing your balance,” said Maresca.

He apologised for the team’s first-half display and said attention had already turned to their next fixture in the English Premier League.

“We are certainly sorry for the performance in the first half,” Maresca said. “We have a Premier League match on Saturday and we have to continue our journey.”

Manchester City will look to recover from the defeat and return to winning ways in their next English Premier League game.

Despite the loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City remain top of the English Premier League table with a perfect record and 18 points.