Enzo Maresca says Man City are ‘more together’ after financial verdict

City were found guilty on September 29 of serious financial-rule breaches covering the period from 2009 to 2018, as well as most of the charges relating to their failure to co-operate with the investigation. The club denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the case, City have made an impressive start to the Premier League season, winning their first six matches under Maresca.

Their latest league victory came at Anfield, where they beat Liverpool 3-0 despite facing a hostile atmosphere. The result followed Maresca's call for his players to create their own "noise" on the pitch rather than become distracted by events off it.

"I think probably since the noise we can see, I can see from my personal point of view the fans, the club, the team more together for sure," Maresca said.

The Italian maintained that he understood why the financial case had attracted so much attention but urged people to wait for the final outcome before reaching conclusions.

"I don't have any problem with people judging the situation," he said. "I think from my point of view the wise way to judge the situation is always to wait for the final words."

"But I can understand that now people need to speak about this situation."

City were charged in February 2023 following a four-year Premier League investigation. They submitted their appeal on October 1 and continue to maintain their innocence.

Maresca has repeatedly expressed his trust in the club's leadership, while his players have continued to deliver results on the pitch.

City's momentum suffered a setback in midweek, however, when they lost 4-2 to reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Their attention now turns to Saturday's Premier League match against Ipswich, when Maresca could make history by becoming the first manager to win his first seven games in charge of a Premier League club.

Pep Guardiola previously won his first six league matches as City manager during the 2016/17 season.

Maresca, whose side are three points clear of defending champions Arsenal at the top of the table, insisted that extending the winning run was more important than setting a personal record.

"To be honest, I'm just focused on how we can win the game that gives us the opportunity to go seven games in a row, so 21 points, that is important," he said.

"These kind of records, I think they can be good if at the end of the season you achieve something, otherwise they are not important."

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