Maresca flags five City players — Haaland included — who need rest amid nine-game run

Enzo Maresca has singled out five Manchester City players — Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Guehi — as stars in need of rest as the club faces nine fixtures in 28 days between the current and next international breaks.

The congested run began with high-profile clashes against Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain and also includes a Carabao Cup tie against Brighton at the Etihad Stadium later in October. City are aiming to protect their perfect Premier League record, accumulate points in the Champions League group stage, and advance in the domestic cup — all while managing a squad stretched by international duty.

Maresca pointed to the dual burden of club and country as the core concern. Haaland was substituted in the final ten minutes of City’s win at Anfield, and Dias was withdrawn at half-time in the defeat to PSG, with both decisions framed as precautionary measures. The Norwegian striker had already been given a few days off following his Norway commitments earlier this month.

“At some point probably we need to give him some rest, some days off. We are thinking about this — not just with Erling,” Maresca said. “Because we have players that, unfortunately or fortunately, they are playing all the games for us. And all the games with the international team: Elliot, Enzo, Marc, Erling, Ruben. So at some point probably we need to give them some rest.”

The challenge for Maresca is finding a fixture where rotation is viable without compromising City’s ambitions across three competitions. With no obvious low-stakes game on the horizon, managing the workload of his most-used players looks set to be one of the defining tactical puzzles of the coming weeks.