Manchester City’s head coach Enzo Maresca asserts that the club has grown ‘more united’ in the wake of Premier League financial charges, while Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provides crucial updates on player injuries.
IMAGE: Manchester City remain top of the Premier League with six wins from six matches and will look to bounce back from their midweek defeat when they host 10th-placed Ipswich Town on Saturday. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Key Points
- Manchester City’s head coach Enzo Maresca believes the club has become ‘more united’ since facing 114 Premier League financial charges, fostering a stronger bond among fans, club, and team.
- Maresca stated he feels no stress from the external situation, focusing solely on winning upcoming matches, including their fixture against Ipswich Town.
- Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi is showing significant improvement and may return for Sunday’s Premier League match against Nottingham Forest.
- Piero Hincapie is expected to remain sidelined for another week or two due to an ankle injury.
- Arsenal will also be without Christos Tzolis and William Saliba due to ongoing injuries.
Manchester City’s players and supporters have grown closer since the club were found to have breached Premier League financial rules, head coach Enzo Maresca said on Friday, adding scrutiny had placed him under no additional stress. An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. City have denied wrongdoing and lodged an appeal.
“I think (City centre back and captain) Ruben Dias said people do not like City winning, so that is why we like to win. That is a good message for everyone,” Maresca said at a news conference. “Since the noise, from my personal point of view, I can see the fans, the club, the team more together, for sure.”
Maresca on External Pressure and Focus
“There is noise around the club but we need to try to make our noise. That means win at Anfield, try to win tomorrow (against Ipswich). This is the way we can make our noise. A different kind of noise, we are not able to control that. “I don’t feel any kind of stress about the outside situation because it is something I don’t control. I just focus on how we can try to win the next games.”
City beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday in their first match since the verdict before suffering a 4-2 home defeat by back-to-back Champions League winners Paris St Germain on Wednesday. Maresca’s side remain top of the Premier League with six wins from six matches and will look to bounce back from their midweek defeat when they host 10th-placed Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Club Trust and Guardiola’s Visit
Asked whether he had sought advice from anyone outside the club to better understand the situation, Maresca said he had no need to do so. “I spoke with the club a few times, they explained to me the situation, so the situation is very clear, and I trust the club 100%, I trust the people that run the club and this is the reason why I joined the club,” the Italian said.
Former City manager Pep Guardiola attended the PSG match, and Maresca said he caught up with him afterwards. Maresca was part of Guardiola’s coaching staff during City’s treble-winning campaign before successful managerial spells at Leicester City and Chelsea. “We were talking about the game, the first half, the second half. He was very happy to be at the stadium and then very positive about things he had seen during the game… This will always be his house,” Maresca added.
Arsenal Injury Updates
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said Martin Zubimendi could return for Sunday’s Premier League match against Nottingham Forest, but Piero Hincapie is expected to remain sidelined after both players picked up injuries last week. The duo suffered ankle injuries during a training session following Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds United and were ruled out of Tuesday’s Champions League victory over Lille.
“Piero (Hincapie) is evolving really well… I am sure it’s not going to take long, but he will probably need another week or two,” Arteta told reporters on Friday. “Zubimendi looks much better… We have another session tomorrow, and after that we will assess whether he’s available to play against Forest.”
Arsenal will also be without Christos Tzolis, who is recovering from a a muscle injury sustained on international duty, and William Saliba, who remains sidelined with a back problem.
