Maresca: Deserved Victory

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca stated that his team fully deserved their 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace, despite a challenging start and difficult pitch conditions. The Italian tactician lauded Rayan Cherki's defensive performance and explained the tactical adjustments made during the match.

“In the first 5 to 10 minutes, we saw how tough it would be. The pitch was heavy, and the opponent was incredibly resilient. However, after the tenth minute, we took complete control of the game, both with and without the ball, and fully deserved the win,” Maresca began.

He commented on his decision to move Marc Guehi back to the center of defense.

“We try to find different solutions. Last week, Marc played in midfield, but today we changed some things. My job is precisely that – to find the right tactical answers,” the manager added.

He was particularly impressed by Rayan Cherki's tactical discipline.

“His performance without the ball was simply incredible. Everyone knows his attacking qualities, but today he worked extremely hard defensively. His task was to neutralize Adam Wharton – he controlled him perfectly and did an excellent job,” the Italian enthused.

He also praised the prolific goalscorer Erling Haaland and Phil Foden's strong play.

“Everyone knows Erling. We know that when we create clear chances, it's perfect for him, so we try to feed him passes as often as possible. As for Phil, in the last 10-15 minutes, it was clear he feels much happier playing more centrally, just behind Erling. That's his natural position. He tries to adapt and help the team when he needs to play on the wing. His work rate is high, and he's doing very well,” Maresca concluded.