Manchester City’s Champions League Ambitions with Enzo Maresca
Manchester City step back onto the Champions League stage on Tuesday night, and Enzo Maresca is taking them there with a mix of old ideas, new energy – and a portable sound system.
On the eve of their Group Stage opener away to Porto, the City head coach and Matheus Nunes cut a relaxed but sharp figure in front of the cameras. The message was clear: standards stay the same, even if the format, the faces and the soundtrack have changed.
O’Reilly hope, Doku delay
The first concern was the team sheet.
Nico O’Reilly, who pulled out of the warm-up before City’s win over Coventry at the weekend, did not travel to Portugal. Neither did Jeremy Doku, still sidelined after picking up an injury in the Community Shield.
Maresca, though, expects O’Reilly’s absence to be short-lived. The midfielder’s issue is “not serious” and the manager is optimistic he could be back in time for Sunday’s Manchester derby against United.
Doku’s situation is less encouraging. The Belgium international was initially only expected to miss a couple of weeks but now looks set to sit out at least the first five matches of the season. Maresca stressed there has been no setback and said Doku is “back”, yet he does not know when the winger will actually be available for selection.
City have flown to Porto without them. The Champions League starts without two of their brightest attacking options.
Haaland the captain, Haaland the man
Erling Haaland’s evolving role inside the dressing room came up more than once.
“He is the second captain. He is a figure,” Maresca said. “He has won everything for the club. He is a top guy and I am happy that his leadership keeps growing because he deserves it.”
The coach drew a line between the striker who first arrived in Manchester and the one leading the line now.
“He is a man now, a dad. When he arrived here, he was not that. His life completely changed because he had a son, he is a top class player, guy but now he is complete. He is a family man.”
With that status comes a different kind of management. Maresca acknowledged the mental and physical toll on a player who rarely gets a break between club and international duty.
“It’s not easy for Erling, not easy for the players who play for their international team. It is correct in the moment that you see they are tired, it is then right to give them a rest. It can be one game, or one week. It is all about me making sure they are fit, happy and we need 11 players 100 per cent.”
Porto’s edge and a different style
City know Porto well. They also know this will not be gentle.
“Very, very good team,” Maresca said. “The team is very clear the way they play. They have a clear style so congratulations to them.”
Set pieces, in particular, have been flagged as a threat.
“I know that Porto are good at set pieces. It has become part of the game. Defend in the right way and score set pieces. You need to be perfect in your game.”
Nunes, who knows Portuguese football from the inside, expects a demanding night.
“It is going to be tough. All teams have great players. I know Pepe is a great forward, he plays very well with his two feet. It is going to be a beautiful duel.”
Asked if this was the most complicated tie so far, he refused to single it out.
“Arsenal was complicated, Palace was complicated. We are facing one of the best teams in Portugal. I am sure it will be a difficult one. We have to be at our best level.”
Nunes also drew a line between the Porto he remembers and the one he sees now.
“From what I have seen, I think they really enjoy playing now, they much enjoy controlling the game. That is a huge difference. When I was playing here, it was transition football. It is part of their DNA to be fighters. If they are better or worse that is up to everyone else.”
As for favourites, Maresca refused to play that game.
“We are here to do our best. The game will dictate who is favourites. It is a hard place to come, difficult place. We are going to try and do our best and try to win the game.”
Nunes the right-back, Nunes the midfielder
Nunes is quickly becoming one of the most adaptable pieces in Maresca’s squad.
He has featured at right-back, but he still sees himself as a midfielder. There is no hint of complaint.
“I can play any position. I feel happy at right-back,” he said. “I think Pep was doing that before. Obviously I do like that because I am a midfielder and going forward to attack is something I am used to. When I play I will try to do my best. When Mister decides me to play in one position, that is where I will play.”
He expects that fluidity to continue.
“It will be the same. There will be moments when I can do other positions. Not yet, it depends what Mister wants for every game. I can play different positions.”
His own fitness, after a disrupted start, is no longer an issue.
“I’m good, I am 100 per cent. It was my ankle, the training before Arsenal there was a tackle but now I am fine.”
Maresca’s imprint: energy, standards and soundtracks
This is Maresca’s first Champions League campaign as City’s head coach, but he is no stranger to the competition. He was on staff during the Treble season and has experience from his time at Chelsea.
“I was here in the Treble season and had good experiences with Chelsea. It is different competition, but we have to be ourselves.”
The new Champions League format does not change his ambition.
“It's always special, a nice competition, we need to adapt. It is a different competition but the ambition is still the same.”
What has changed at City, according to Nunes, is the daily feel around the place.
“He has brought so much energy, there feels like a new energy around. He is very good energy. He sets the standard.”
That energy now comes with a beat. Maresca has introduced music into training and warm-ups, something he also did at Leicester and Chelsea.
“It is something I had at Leicester, Chelsea and I introduce it here. When it is playing, they are happy. They choose the music.”
Nunes is fully on board.
“I like it, why not. All of them want to be DJs.”
Maresca’s tactical fingerprints are already visible too. He highlighted Rayan Cherki’s role in controlling tempo and providing the final pass.
“There is always a game plan and when we are in our side, Rayan drops a little to manage the tempo. When we are in the opposite side, we need him higher. He is dangerous with the last pass. It depends the game, against Coventry, when we were in our side, it was good to drop a little bit. He gives us quality. Second goal against Bournemouth, he is in the right position. He is doing fantastic with us. I also think Phil can do that last pass between the lines. We are very lucky.”
New faces, same expectation
City’s transfer window brought in players Maresca and his squad believe can keep the club at the summit.
“It is incredible that they brought in. They were the best players at the other teams,” Nunes said. “It is just the way it is, players go and players come in. We have to help them settle. They are very happy to be here.”
On the deal for Enzo Fernandez, Nunes kept it simple.
“We as players don't know, we want to have the best players and Enzo is one of them. We were very happy. When a new player comes in, they did an amazing job with the transfer window.”
Maresca knows what comes with that level of investment.
“When you are City, the expectation is higher. I like to be focused on day by day. For me, the most important thing is for me to see that we are improving.”
The Champions League brings its own unique pressure. Nunes did not try to dress that up.
“Every year is different. The Champions League is the most difficult tournament, especially in the knockouts. You don't play well, you are out. In the Premier League, you can come back. We want to win every season. This year will be no different.”
Guardiola, Maresca and what comes next
Nunes has worked under both Pep Guardiola and Maresca. Any comparison, he says, needs time.
“I was with Pep for three seasons and Enzo just a couple of months. Maybe in a few months I can answer that question. They are both very passionate so I see more comparisons than differences.”
For now, the only comparison that matters is on the pitch. City arrive in Porto with injuries, a reshaped squad and a coach determined to imprint his own style without losing what made this team European champions.
The music is on, the standards are set, and the first test of their latest Champions League chase waits under the floodlights in Portugal.
