Maresca backs Man City hierarchy with 'complete trust' despite guilty verdict ahead of Anfield trip

Enzo Maresca has declared that Manchester City’s players and staff place “complete trust” in the club’s hierarchy, despite City being found guilty on all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations — a verdict that landed just days before Sunday’s trip to Anfield.

On 30 September, the Premier League confirmed that City had been found guilty of artificially inflating revenue by more than £900 million through so-called ‘sham’ sponsorship deals between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. City strongly denied any wrongdoing, lodging an appeal on 1 October and insisting they are “innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League”, citing “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” in their defence.

Maresca, speaking ahead of the Liverpool fixture, said the dressing room’s mood remains positive. “Personally I’m very calm to be honest,” he said. “The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club. We understand the noise but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side.”

The City head coach added that his players are not distracted by the off-field turmoil. “The feeling is fantastic, to be honest. The players are excited for the next two games. But especially they are excited because in this moment we are top of the league. They know their profession and they know that the noise is there but they don’t care too much about the noise.”

The verdict was published while the majority of City’s squad were away on international duty, and Maresca is understood to have addressed his players directly upon their return to the training ground on Thursday — urging them not to allow the controversy to derail their focus. International returnees including Erling Haaland were back in training as the club prepared to resume competitive action.

City face a demanding week ahead: Sunday’s Premier League clash at Anfield is followed three days later by a Champions League home fixture against Paris Saint-Germain, with former manager Pep Guardiola expected to be present in the stands for the latter.

“First of all, Anfield away, we’re going to bring our passion, we’re going to bring our gameplan,” Maresca said of the Liverpool encounter, framing it as a chance to reinforce their position at the top of the table rather than a distraction from the ongoing legal process.