After Manchester City's 3-1 pre-season victory over Atlético Madrid, Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca spoke to the club's official media.
Enzo, first of all, congratulations on a fantastic win. I want to start by asking about Antoine Semenyo. Interestingly, Bournemouth is the team you've faced most in your coaching career, and Semenyo has scored in all five of his appearances against you. Did you know about his abilities before he joined Manchester City?
Yes. The first thing I said to him when I joined the club was: "I'm so glad you're with us now." Antoine performed well, but I think all the players' efforts were outstanding. Now that pre-season is over, starting tomorrow, we will enter the real work phase.
Right, we're about to enter the most crucial phase of the season. We still have a long journey ahead. I want to ask about the players who haven't yet integrated into the team. We'll play against Arsenal soon. How do you plan to integrate these players, especially someone like Erling Haaland? You've been using a three-midfielder system during your Asian tour. Do you think this will change?
Of course. I'm very much looking forward to working with the players who are still in England, and also those who are here. But as I said, from tomorrow, we officially enter the season phase. Pre-season is over, and the most important thing is to ensure that no players are injured. For the players who are here, their physical condition will continue to improve with each game. From Wednesday, we'll also welcome other players, and their fitness will continue to improve.
That was also a very interesting coaching duel. This was your first time facing Simeone in the dugout, although you'd played against each other several times on the field before, and in one match, both of you scored. Do you still remember that match?
I do—a 1-1 draw with Lazio, I recall. But I also reminded him that his first game as Atlético Madrid manager was against Málaga 16 years ago, and I was still a player then. So he's been at Atlético Madrid for 16 years now.
That certainly shows how long his coaching career has been. He's been at Atlético Madrid for so many years—about 16 years now. Are you surprised by his longevity? Do you think you can also have such a coaching career?
I am surprised because it's not common in football. You have to win games, you have to win trophies, and that's what he's done for the last 15 to 16 years. So I have to pay my respects to him and the job he's done.
Enzo, from your personal perspective, what was the biggest highlight of this Asian tour? The trip was certainly long, but the team's performance was undoubtedly very successful. Was there anything off the field that was also a highlight for you personally?
Nothing special, but I'm particularly pleased that, especially since I arrived at the club, the players have been very open. They want to learn new things and are willing to try new ideas. We're trying to introduce some new things with and without the ball, so these 15 days have been very important for building connections with the players.
That's already evident—many players in the team are building chemistry, and they all have smiles on their faces, which is very gratifying. There were also moments on the sidelines where you were constantly smiling. It seems you're really enjoying all of this. We watched the team's open training yesterday, and you looked like a player again, almost never stopping throughout the session. Do you like to stay active and enjoy the training process?
Of course. I think that's how I like to do things. I like to be involved in training and on the training pitch. However, I'm still young, which is also one of the reasons.
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