Enzo Maresca is planning to address Manchester City’s guilty verdict in a meeting with his players ahead of this weekend’s Premier League match against Liverpool, according to reports.
An independent panel found City guilty of 114 charges of financial misconduct and impeding the Premier League’s investigation. The club maintains its innocence and has appealed the verdict, but if the appeal fails, they face unprecedented punishments.
International break shields squad
Maresca and his squad have been shielded from the news to a degree by the three-week international break, but the head coach will be forced to address the issue this week as the Premier League resumes.
City will walk into a markedly hostile atmosphere as they face their first league outing since the verdict was released, visiting Liverpool at Anfield.
Maresca's plan to tune out noise
Per a report in The Times, Maresca is set to address his squad in a private meeting ahead of what could prove to be a season-defining match. Things will get no easier for City after the Liverpool match, with a Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain to come in midweek.
Maresca has made a fine start to life with the club, winning all five of his league matches thus far, but the club’s future has now been thrown into doubt. Should City fail in their appeal, their punishments could range from a severe points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League or the stripping of the club’s titles in the period of their financial misdeeds.
