Enzo Maresca praises squad depth after European performance
Enzo Maresca walked away from a bruising European night convinced his side had shown exactly what he wanted to see: depth, control and a touch of ruthlessness – even if the scoreline, in his view, could have been heavier.
The Italian was pleased, but not satisfied.
“I think we could've scored more goals, especially in the first half,” he told Amazon Prime, still replaying missed chances in his mind. “But overall I think we deserved to win the game.”
City carved out opportunities almost at will before the break, dictating tempo and territory in a demanding away assignment. The only frustration for Maresca was that the dominance on the ball didn’t fully translate to the scoreboard.
“We created enough chances to win the game,” he said. “We didn't concede a lot. It's normal to come here and concede some chances because it's normal, so overall happy with the performance.”
That word – “overall” – mattered. Maresca has built his early tenure around the idea of a squad, not a fixed XI, and nights like this underlined why he leans so heavily on that philosophy.
“I think I am lucky because all the squad is good players,” he added. “For a manager it is easy because you can give minutes to all of them, and tonight I think the guys that were inside were very good.”
Bouaddi steps into the glare
On a night loaded with experience and expectation, it was teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi who drew the loudest praise from his manager. Thrown into a high-stakes European tie, he refused to blink.
“The good thing is that from Erling [Haaland], Ruben [Dias], Mateo [Kovacic] you expect how to manage this game,” Maresca said. “But he was never in panic, Ayyoub Bouaddi. He was very good and I think the performance was unbelievable.”
Calm on the ball, sharp in his positioning and unfazed by the occasion, Bouaddi slotted in alongside Enzo Fernandez as if this stage belonged to him. That composure didn’t surprise those inside the camp. He had already been turning heads in training.
Erling Haaland, who has seen enough young talents come and go to know the difference, has been quietly – and not so quietly – banging the drum for the youngster.
“I think he played a very good game,” Haaland said. “Last couple of weeks in training, I told the chairman that he has been amazing, so I think we have a gem here.”
Then came the sting, delivered with a grin. Haaland hadn’t forgotten one key moment.
“But to be honest, I think he should of played me through in the second half when I was all alone. I was a bit angry, so I will tell him right now, he played a good game, except that pass.”
A ruthless striker demanding the ball. A teenager bold enough to make his own choice. A manager revelling in the luxury of options.
If this is what City’s “good problem” looks like in September, the real question is how dangerous they become when this squad, and this gem of a midfielder, grow fully into the season.
