Enzo Maresca has defended Manchester City’s celebrations that followed the weekend win at Liverpool and admitted they continued in the dressing room.
The game at Anfield was City’s first since an Independent Commission ruled the club had breached 114 financial regulations. City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict but the issue continues to leave a stain over the English game.
City’s players showed no signs of distraction on Sunday with a superb performance and victory that was celebrated with gusto in front of their travelling fans at the final whistle.
Many observers felt a low-key approach would have been more suitable given the circumstances but Maresca felt the smiles were justified.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League game with Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad, he questioned why his players’ response was criticised, stating: “Criticised for what? We won 3-0 at Anfield. What do you want us to do? And even if it was 1-0, it would be exactly the same.
“I’m here today, and the players are here today, to win tomorrow’s game. And we work every day to win games. It’s the only thing, again, that we can think [about] and be focused on.
“The rest? It’s just things from outside that we need to deal with, but we were so, so, so happy inside the pitch, and you cannot imagine inside the changing room.”
Liverpool win was special for the City fans – Maresca
Maresca said sharing the win with the City fans was special given what they would have gone through over the past fortnight.
He added: “Probably it has been more tough for our fans than for the players or for me. Probably because it’s more complicated because if I am an Arsenal fan or a United fan, and you are a Man City fan, I can tell you, ‘Hey my friend, you cheat’, or these kind of things.
“So probably it has been more tough for them, but again, we were happy at the end of the game. Inside the changing room we were very happy, celebrating the three points because we know how difficult it is at Anfield.”
City skipper Ruben Dias echoed Maresca’s sentiments, adding: “I very much stand by the manager’s words, as well. It’s a win at Anfield. In whatever circumstances, so be it now maybe earlier in the season, so be it later in the season, any time – I and we will enjoy it just as much, and we will celebrate it however it feels in the moment, and it will obviously be a show of how much it means to us.
“Whenever you win, there’s people not happy with it because they have the same ambition, they want to win as well. We do what we do, we go on the pitch, we play football, and we win.”
We know the seriousness of the situation – City boss Maresca
Maresca says he and his players are fully aware of the potential consequences that could be coming City’s way despite the club putting on a remarkable show of solidarity since the Independent Commission’s ruling.
“I said many times, I am a completely calm, relaxed,” he added. “I promise you I stress a lot about gameplans and how we can train every day, but I don’t stress about things that I don’t control.
“So, the message with the players will be exactly the same as I said, we know the seriousness of the situation but at the same time it is not something that we can do something about. Where we can do things is on the pitch so that is why I like to focus there and the message to the players is exactly the same.
“I said after the Liverpool game that the noise around the team is a big noise but we need to try to deal with that and try to make our noise, which is to win games.”
City’s perfect record will be tested by PSG
City have won every game they have played this season but that record will be given the stiffest test on Wednesday against the two-time defending European champions.
And Maresca admitted this season’s Champions League carries added significance given it may be the last time City compete at Europe’s top table for a while.
He said: “For sure, the Champions League for this organisation is so important, no doubt.
“We are going to try to improve, compared to the last two, three years where the club, the team struggled a little bit.
“So, we are going to try to do our best to improve that. Again, where we can be in March, April or if this is the last Champions League for a while, I don’t know.
“We are, for sure, a good team, no doubt. Where we are in this moment compared to PSG? I don’t know.
“I know how good they are because in the last two years they won the last two Champions Leagues – that shows how good they are but at the same time, again, I don’t know if we’re close, far, but for sure, we are a good team.”
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