Enzo Maresca Reflects on Manchester City's European Performance
Enzo Maresca walked away from a bruising European night satisfied, not just with the scoreline but with the character his squad showed under pressure.
The Manchester City head coach cut a content figure as he reflected on a performance he felt should have delivered an even wider margin of victory. Speaking to Amazon Prime after the game, the Italian was clear: his side had done more than enough.
“I think we could've scored more goals, especially in the first half,” Maresca said. “But overall I think we deserved to win the game. We created enough chances to win the game. We didn't concede a lot.”
The setting was hostile, the tempo relentless. City still looked in control for long stretches. When the hosts did threaten, Maresca treated it as the natural cost of playing away in Europe, not a sign of fragility.
“It's normal to come here and concede some chances because it's normal,” he added. “So overall happy with the performance.”
What pleased him most was not a single moment, but the collective effort. Maresca leaned on his squad and they responded, the rotation players folding into the structure without any visible drop in standards.
“I think I am lucky because all the squad is good players,” he said. “For a manager it is easy because you can give minutes to all of them, and tonight I think the guys that were inside were very good.”
Bouaddi’s big-stage composure
One of those “very good” performers stole the spotlight. Ayyoub Bouaddi, still a teenager, played with the calm of a seasoned pro, knitting play together and refusing to be rattled by the occasion.
Maresca did not hide his admiration.
“The good thing is that from Erling [Haaland], Ruben [Dias], Mateo [Kovacic] you expect how to manage this game,” he explained. “But he was never in panic, Ayyoub Bouaddi. He was very good and I think the performance was unbelievable.”
Alongside Enzo Fernandez, Bouaddi looked as if he had been part of this stage for years, not weeks. His teammates had already seen it coming. The training ground had provided the first clues.
Haaland, who has watched the youngster closely in recent sessions, revealed just how highly he rates him.
“I think he played a very good game,” the striker said. “Last couple of weeks in training, I told the chairman that he has been amazing, so I think we have a gem here.”
Then came the sting, delivered with a grin. Even on a night of praise, the standards at City remain unforgiving.
“But to be honest, I think he should of played me through in the second half when I was all alone,” Haaland added. “I was a bit angry, so I will tell him right now, he played a good game, except that pass.”
A gem, then, already trusted in Europe, already being pushed to see more, to risk more. On nights like this, with seasoned stars and rising talent blending so seamlessly, Maresca’s belief in the depth of his squad looks less like optimism and more like a warning to the rest of the continent.
