Enzo Maresca has agreed with Elliot Anderson’s view that Manchester City are the “kings of Manchester” as he gets ready to oversee his first derby as the club’s manager.
City head to Old Trafford on Sunday aiming to maintain their flawless start under Maresca and strengthen Anderson’s argument. The 23-year-old midfielder made the comment after completing a £116m summer move from Nottingham Forest. From a distance, he had watched City claim eight Premier League championships in 14 years, while United won only once during that period.
Maresca said Manchester City’s accomplishments had been remarkable, making Anderson’s statement understandable. He acknowledged that the situation looked different further back in history but explained that City had dominated throughout Anderson’s formative years.
Michael Carrick rejected Anderson’s description after United defeated Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday night. He said he would not use that expression, adding that United were realistic about their recent history and understood the need to improve and compete more consistently. Carrick nevertheless insisted the club still had the hope, belief and expectations required to return to that level, while remaining aware of the wider context.
Carrick also described United’s limited recovery time between the Sabah match and the City fixture as less than ideal. City have had two additional days to prepare after winning away against Porto on Tuesday. Although Pep Guardiola frequently raised concerns about match scheduling, Maresca showed little concern and noted that City faced a similar situation last season when they played Napoli and then met Arsenal two days later.
Maresca said congested schedules were sometimes unavoidable in football and expressed confidence that United would be prepared. In his view, teams simply have to adjust, as City experienced the same issue last season and another club is likely to encounter it in the future.
Nico O’Reilly is available again after a back issue forced the midfielder to withdraw shortly before last week’s victory over Coventry and kept him out of the trip to Portugal. Jérémy Doku, however, remains sidelined with the calf injury he sustained during the Community Shield loss to Arsenal.
During his playing and coaching career, Maresca has experienced several major football rivalries, including the Manchester derby while serving on Guardiola’s coaching staff. He identified the Olympiakos-Panathinaikos rivalry in Athens as the most intense and said derby matches carry special significance for supporters, clubs, players and coaching teams.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
