Enzo Maresca has met with the media to decide on Manchester City’s guilty verdict from FFP ahead of Saturday’s match at Anfield against Liverpool.
Enzo Maresca is determined to stay in the league for the long term – and has no fear of staying if Manchester City are relegated to League One after the Premier League found the club guilty of 114 counts of financial irregularities.
Enzo Maresca: ‘The feeling is amazing’ in the Manchester City squad
The “Cityzen” family is caught in the biggest storm the Premier League has ever seen, after a lengthy examination of their finances concluded that they had inflated their portfolio to a total of £830 million over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018 – using a series of “leather” commercial deals.
City, however, strongly protest their innocence and plan to take the fight to clear their name all the way to the Supreme Court.
As a sign of unity, the “Cityzens” have actually released an interview with both Maresca and striker Erling Haaland, both of whom insist that the mood at the club is still positive, and that everyone must stick together.
All of this is happening while a separate Premier League commission decides on the most appropriate punishment – with relegation to the lower divisions, a heavy points penalty and a massive transfer ban all up for discussion.
Read on Radiosporten: Antonio Nusa is called up for title fight in the Premier League!
Regardless, it has been claimed that the club could lose an estimated £500 million annually for every year they spend outside the top division, in lost revenue.
Now, facing the media for the first time since the Premier League published its crushing verdict, Maresca has taken the opportunity to emphasize his faith and loyalty to the club.
“First of all, tomorrow – I understand why most of you are here. There is a process going on; I trust the club completely,” Maresca began. “I trust the club and I trust the people; that’s why I joined the club. There’s no other club where I’d rather be.
When asked if he would resign if Man City’s appeal fails, Maresca replied: “I will talk about this when we win the appeal. No need to talk about anything. I understand why you are here, because you want to hear something.”
When asked if he would stay if Man City were relegated, the Italian said: “I won the championship with Leicester, League One – we’ll see.”
Maresca on sympathy for the players, towards Liverpool and the message of Pep
City have won eight Premier League titles over the years, six of which were achieved under iconic manager Pep Guardiola – whom the Italian replaced this summer.
When asked if any of these were now contaminated, Maresca had a clear message: “Absolutely not. The last time I was here was in the triple season. I know the effort of the players, of the club, of the manager at the time – it was Pep. So I know exactly how much effort the club put into achieving such a goal. So I don’t doubt it.”
When asked if the title victories now come with a star, Maresca insisted: “Absolutely not.”
Several City players have already been linked with exits since the sanctions became known, and sources have been investigating the situations surrounding Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.
The biggest speculation of all, however, revolves around Haaland, who has been mentioned this week by another source for a move to Liverpool.
Maresca was asked for his opinion on how the news affects his players, saying, “I already said it – for me, the players. We can only control the pitch side, the football side. So we focus on that; this is what we can do and what we can control. Not control anything else.”
City are back in action with a game against Liverpool at Anfield, which is sure to be a pot this Sunday.
Asked for his thoughts on the match, Maresca commented: “It will be a tough game, a tough test. We have to be ready. The focus has to be on the team – it could be even worse because of the situation. They can certainly face the pressure; we have players who have faced similar ones. We have Enzo Fernández in Argentina – that’s how every game is.”
