Maresca Downplays Manchester Derby Rivalry as Anderson Calls City 'Kings'
Maresca plays down Manchester derby fury as Anderson hails City ‘kings of Manchester’
Enzo Maresca walks into his first Manchester derby as City manager under no illusions about the noise around Old Trafford – but he does not buy into the idea that it is the fiercest cauldron he has known.
The Italian has felt the heat elsewhere, and he made that clear.
“We know how important a derby is, especially here, for the club, for the fans, for everyone,” Maresca said ahead of the trip to the Theatre of Dreams. “It is a special game and the most important thing we can do is to try to be ourselves, in the way we have been until today. Then we will see the final result.”
Then came the line that raised eyebrows.
“I have been involved in different ones. I promise you the worst is Olympiakos–Panathinaikos,” he said. “I have been in Italy with Juventus–Torino, Sevilla–Betis, as a manager with Chelsea – different ones. I know Old Trafford is quite different but the main focus for the players has to be the game plan, how we can win, how we can press, how we can be better. I want these kind of games, I like them.”
For a man who has worked at Chelsea and under Pep Guardiola at City, that is a sizeable statement. Yet Maresca’s benchmark for hostility remains the raw, combustible derbies of southern Europe rather than the polished glare of the Premier League’s global showpiece.
Anderson turns up the volume
If Maresca tried to cool the narrative around the rivalry itself, one of his players happily turned the temperature back up.
Elliot Anderson, the £116 million summer signing from Nottingham Forest, has already poked the red half of the city by calling City the “kings of Manchester”. It will be his first derby appearance. His first walk into Old Trafford as a City player. And he has already planted a flag.
Those words have not gone unnoticed across town, but Maresca backed his midfielder and framed the comment as a reflection of recent history rather than a cheap shot.
“Probably the reason why Elliot said that is because he grew up in the last 15 years,” Maresca said. “I think Manchester City were unbelievable in what they achieved. So it was normal when Elliot said that. If you go back it’s a different picture, but for me the reason Elliot said that is because when he grew up Manchester City was dominant.”
For a generation raised on City’s title runs and domestic clean‑ups, the landscape is obvious. United’s past still towers over the English game, but the present, in Anderson’s lifetime, has been painted sky blue.
No excuses over rest advantage
On the pitch, City arrive with momentum and, on paper, a small physical edge.
Maresca’s side swept Porto aside 5-1 in the Champions League, a statement win that kept confidence high and workload controlled. United, by contrast, were dragged into a Thursday night European fixture against Sabah, trimming their recovery time before Sunday’s showdown.
It is the kind of scheduling detail managers often seize upon. Maresca refused to do so.
“Sometimes it happens in football,” he said. “I don’t have any doubt that Man United are going to be ready. It just matters to adapt. It happened last year with us, this season with them. Next season it will happen with a different team.”
No complaints. No pre‑emptive alibis. Just a reminder that elite clubs live with these swings every season.
So City head across town with fresher legs, a swagger from Europe, a manager unafraid to downplay the mythology of Old Trafford – and a record signing who has already declared them rulers of the city.
Now they have to prove it where it counts.
