Maresca: The Goal Is to Continue the Way This Team Has Performed Over the Last 10-15 Years

Manchester City's new manager, Enzo Maresca, has expressed his eagerness for the season to kick off. The Italian took the helm at the Etihad this summer, succeeding Pep Guardiola, who enjoyed a decade of immense success with the club. Consequently, the team is set to embark on a new era in its history with Sunday's clash against Bournemouth. City stumbled in the Community Shield a week prior, suffering a significant 3-0 defeat.

“I’m incredibly excited to begin this new chapter, a new adventure. The goal is to continue in the same vein as this team has done over the past 10 or 15 years. That’s why I’m happy and thrilled for our first home game. Against Arsenal, we wanted to win, but we couldn't. We analyzed our performance, and now we are fully focused on Bournemouth and the Premier League. I’ve watched some of their matches from last season, as well as their pre-season friendlies. It’s very clear what they do with the ball; they are a very aggressive team, just as they were under Andoni Iraola,” the Italian coach stated.

He then commented on the recent departures of several players. Manchester City sold Rodri, one of the team's key figures in recent seasons, to Barcelona, and this morning, reports emerged that an agreement for Savinho with Tottenham has been reached at the Etihad. There's also a possibility that Omar Marmoush could be heading to the London Stadium, with talks between the two clubs ongoing.

“It’s quite clear that when a player wants to leave, for whatever reason, it’s difficult to convince them to stay or change their mind. It happened with Rodri, and it happened with Savinho. With the exception of Rodri, the other players who are leaving are those who received fewer minutes last season, and that’s why they want to move to other teams. Regarding Omar, I can’t say anything yet; he’s still with us. His situation is different from Savinho’s, so we’ll wait and see. This team is 90% different from the squad that was here three or four years ago. Yet, the people within the building are all the same. Most of them were here the previous time I was here, so everything feels familiar, like a family,” Maresca remarked.