Enzo Maresca has called on his Manchester City squad to ignore the 'noise' surrounding the club after they were found guilty of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.
City continues to insist upon its innocence and has appealed the guilty verdict. They claim to hold 'irrefutable evidence' of that fact.
All eyes will be on Anfield this weekend, though, as City face Liverpool in their first league outing since the verdict was confirmed. A distinctly hostile atmosphere is expected for the match.
Maresca: 'I'm very calm'
But Maresca insists he is unconcerned about the club's legal issues, despite the threat of heavy sanctions. He has appeared relaxed when pictured at the training ground in recent days, and in a new interview with City's in-house media channels, insists he believes they are innocent.
"Personally, I'm very calm to be honest," he said. "The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club. We understand the noise but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side."
Of the mood in the squad, he continued: "The feeling is fantastic, to be honest. The players are excited for the next two games. But especially they are excited because in this moment we are top of the league.
"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. They know their profession and they know that the noise is there, but they don't care too much about the noise."
Squad meeting and Anfield trip
Those comments come after Maresca reportedly held a meeting with his squad to address the charges. BBC Sport claim he implored his side to remain focused on their football and block out the 'noise' that has followed the story.
It has also been reported that some members of the squad are anxious about their futures, with City potentially facing a considerable points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League.
City are set to face a hostile reception at Anfield on Sunday, and Maresca addressed the travelling fans: "We need to be all together. I said many times the reason why this organisation in the last 15 years was top was because from the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, the manager, players, fans, they are all on the same page. And this is fantastic.
"We know that the next two games are going to both be battles, especially Anfield away. We're going to bring all our [patient] feeling there. But at the same moment we need our fans with us. We need their patience and their voice and hopefully at the end of the game we can all be happy."
Haaland urges unity
Speaking earlier in the day, star striker Erling Haaland urged Man City and its supporters to "stick together. We have to stay with each other and stay positive. No matter what happens in life we have to have a smile.
"We have to stay positive, look ahead and try to win football games, then try to enjoy the situation and the game. We have to stick together, we have to spread the love to each other, enjoy the ride and smile."
