Enzo Maresca insists Manchester City’s players are refusing to be distracted by the huge amount of noise surrounding the club as they prepare for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
City head to Anfield for their first Premier League match since the independent commission’s guilty verdict over serious financial-rule breaches.
That alone guarantees an intense atmosphere, but Maresca believes his squad are focused on something much simpler: staying top of the league.
City have won all five of their Premier League games so far, and their manager clearly does not want the off-field situation derailing that momentum.
Man City players ‘don’t care too much about the noise’
Speaking to Man City’s official media, Maresca said the mood around the squad remains positive despite everything happening away from the pitch.
“The players are just focused on that. They know what we can control is the football side – they are not worried at all about different things,” he said.
Maresca added: “They know their profession and they know that the noise is there but they don’t care too much about the noise.”
He also stressed that the immediate priority is finding a way to beat Liverpool at Anfield, with Paris Saint-Germain then visiting the Etihad in the Champions League three days later.
Anfield will show just how strong City’s focus really is
It is easy to say players can block everything out. Doing it at Anfield will be a much tougher test.
Reuters reported that City’s trip to Liverpool will take place under an unusually intense spotlight, with the possibility of future sporting sanctions still hanging over the club.
That makes Sunday fascinating. City have been outstanding on the pitch so far, winning five from five, while Liverpool remain unbeaten and know victory would close the gap significantly.
Maresca’s message is probably the only sensible one available to him. The players cannot control hearings, appeals or potential punishments. They can control what happens during 90 minutes at Anfield.
Still, this is no normal away game.
If City walk into one of the most hostile grounds in English football and continue playing with the same confidence they showed before the verdict, Maresca’s claim that his players are ignoring the noise will suddenly carry a lot more weight.
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