Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has said his players know how much the club value them as they continue to compete for the biggest prizes in English football, insisting they need not worry about outside criticism.
Players backed amid scandal
The club are mired in scandal after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules across nearly a decade, and those on the pitch have been labelled cheats by opposition fans. However, as the club appeal the verdict, the players have won against Liverpool and Ipswich to make it seven perfect games at the start of the Premier League.
It is a record for Maresca, who has encouraged the players to make their own noise externally but is giving them plenty of praise inside the dressing room.
Manager's verdict
"I understand that we give credit to the players. The players need to be worried about people inside the club and about me, for the credit I give to them. They are not worried about people that can judge them from outside," he said.
"They know that the people trying to judge them are people that are working, they need to say something and create some problems but inside I promise you that the players are happy. The club gives credit to the players, and I give credit to the players so this is for us the most important thing."
"The environment was very good, they told me that today was a record attendance for the stadium. The club, the fans, the players are all together on this journey and this is the best feeling for everyone."
Rotation pays off
City's 3-2 win over Ipswich marked another significant victory for Maresca and his new-look squad as a team with six changes from the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain managed to claim three points. The manager was particularly pleased with how those without much game time equipped themselves.
"It was very good, especially because making five or six changes the team didn't change in terms of the way we want to play on the ball or off the ball," he said. "It is always the worry or concern we have when we make many changes that it is probably too much but the game was very good, we didn't concede nothing and we created chances so I was happy for the ones that didn't play a lot."
"For sure I didn’t expect to win seven games out of seven, but the main reason is because I am not thinking we can win the next five; I always think about the next one. I didn’t expect to win seven out of seven but I think we are working well and this is the most important thing."
