Manchester City arrive at Aston Villa with the football looking rather healthier than the noise around the club. Apart from the reverse against Paris Saint-Germain, Enzo Maresca’s side have been difficult to stop, and the manager says he is enjoying the work despite the continuing talk of potential sanctions hanging over City.
Why it landed this week
- Manchester City
- Aston Villa
- Phil Foden
- Rayan Cherki
Maresca described the job as a privilege and said he was very happy with the way things were going. The wider uncertainty has not altered his view of the club’s summer work, which involved substantial change after a manager’s decade in charge came to an end.
He felt most clubs would need a longer settling-in period after losing a number of key players as well as a long-serving manager. City, he argued, have nonetheless put themselves back in the race quickly following that rebuild.
Villa and Unai Emery will provide the next examination. Maresca spoke warmly of Emery and made clear that he holds the Villa manager in high regard. He also picked out Cherki as one of Europe’s leading players at present.
Foden back in the picture
Much of Maresca’s attention, though, has been on restoring Phil Foden to his best level. The England forward’s hat-trick against AEK offered the clearest recent sign that the old sharpness is returning.
Maresca said he had held two or three conversations with Foden, particularly early on, to underline how important he is to the side. Having known the player for years, the City manager believes there is no doubt about his ability.
With City’s depth, there is little room for a player to drift below the required standard before somebody else takes the shirt. Yet Maresca sees Foden as the sort of talent who can lift the whole side when he is available and flourishing.
He accepted that, for various reasons, Foden had not reached his usual heights in recent seasons. But his aim is straightforward: improve the player and the team improves with him. Maresca sees it as his responsibility to help Foden become one of England’s finest players again.
The next fixture
Manchester City face Aston Villa, with Maresca’s unbeaten-looking domestic momentum set against Emery’s formidable opponents.
