Manchester City verdict controversy has not dampened the spirits of manager Enzo Maresca, who has said that his side will not let the incident affect the club’s focus on football ahead of its Premier League matchup at Anfield with Liverpool.
In a statement to the club’s own media on Thursday, Maresca said he was not reacting to the club’s financial rules saga with the Premier League, insisting that he was “cool as a cucumber”.
More on the personal front, I’m very calm, said Maresca, who is again placing his trust in the leadership of the club. We have been made very clear, we believe the club, we understand the noise but our focus is what we can control and we can control just the football side of the club.
City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano have kept up a defense of the club’s innocence, while the reigning champions have filed a formal appeal to the decision.
The developments have meant that City is back in the spotlight but Maresca said that things were not interfering with their preparations for upcoming fixtures.
The team was split with most of the players overseas on international duty. But now it’s back to the City Football Academy for the team to prepare for their journey to Anfield. Additionally, the positive demeanour in the squad was emphasised by Maresca, who said that the top spot in the Premier League table was a motivator for his players.
“Really awesome,” he said. “This is a great moment for us as top of the league position and that’s why the players are pumped up for the next two games.”
The manager emphasised his players are aware of their duties and are focusing on the challenge in front of them and not on external criticism.
