Manchester City Faces Porto in Champions League Opener
Manchester City land in Porto on Tuesday night with a familiar weight on their shoulders and a new voice in the dugout. Enzo Maresca, now the man charged with keeping City on Europe’s summit, cut a calm but sharp figure as he laid out his plans – and his problems – for the Champions League opener.
Beside him, Matheus Nunes spoke like a player who has finally shaken off the rust and is ready to run, tackle and, if needed, defend the back post.
Injury picture: O’Reilly hope, Doku delay
City’s squad touched down in Portugal without Nico O’Reilly and Jeremy Doku, both missing from the travelling party after sitting out training on Monday.
O’Reilly, who pulled out of the warm-up before the weekend win over Coventry, has at least offered Maresca some encouragement. The injury is not considered serious and the head coach is optimistic the academy product could be back in time for Sunday’s Manchester derby against United.
Doku’s outlook is more frustrating. The Belgium winger, injured in the Community Shield and initially expected to be out for only a couple of weeks, is now set to miss at least the first five matches of the season.
“Nico yes for the weekend. Doku, no not yet,” Maresca said, stressing there had been no setback but admitting he does not know when the winger will be available.
Maresca’s City: music, control and standards
If there is a new rhythm to City under Maresca, it is literal as well as tactical. The Italian has brought music into training at the Etihad Campus, just as he did at Leicester and Chelsea.
“When it is playing, they are happy. They choose the music,” he explained. A small detail, but one that speaks to the atmosphere he wants: high energy, high standards, and players relaxed enough to perform.
On the pitch, he sees a Porto side that mirrors some of those ideas.
“Very, very good team,” he said. “The team is very clear the way they play. They have a clear style so congratulations to them.” He knows they are dangerous from set pieces and warned City must “defend in the right way and score set pieces” of their own, describing dead balls as a part of the modern game where you “need to be perfect.”
The new Champions League format doesn’t alter his mindset. “It’s always special, a nice competition, we need to adapt,” he said. The ambition, though, remains unchanged.
Haaland: from phenomenon to figurehead
Erling Haaland’s presence loomed large over the press room, even before a ball has been kicked in Europe this season. Maresca was clear about the Norwegian’s status.
“He is the second captain. He is a figure. He has won everything for the club,” he said. “He is a top guy and I am happy that his leadership keeps growing because he deserves it.”
Maresca also acknowledged the mental and physical toll on Haaland and his fellow internationals.
“It’s not easy for Erling, not easy for the players who play for their international team,” he said. The solution, in his eyes, is simple but ruthless: rest them when they show fatigue. “It can be one game, or one week. It is all about me making sure they are fit, happy and we need 11 players 100 per cent.”
The coach sees a more rounded character in his striker now. “He is a man now, a dad. When he arrived here, he was not that. His life completely changed because he had a son… now he is complete. He is a family man.”
Nunes: right-back, midfielder, survivor
When Nunes took his seat for the second half of the press conference, he sounded like a player who has come through a difficult spell and decided not to complain about anything – including his position.
“I can play any position. I feel happy at right-back,” he said, though he made no secret of his natural instincts. “Obviously I do like that because I am a midfielder and going forward to attack is something I am used to. When I play I will try to do my best. When Mister decides me to play in one position, that is where I will play.”
He confirmed he is now fully fit after an ankle problem that came from a tackle in training before the Arsenal game. “I’m good, I am 100 per cent,” he said.
Nunes described Maresca as a jolt of electricity around the training ground. “He has brought so much energy, there feels like a new energy around. He is very good energy. He sets the standard.”
Porto test and a familiar face
For Nunes, Porto is no abstract opponent. He knows the club and the culture well and expects a scrap.
“It is going to be tough. All teams have great players,” he said. “I know Pepe is a great forward, he plays very well with his two feet. It is going to be a beautiful duel.”
He stopped short of ranking the tie. “If it is the most complicated tie, I don’t know. Arsenal was complicated, Palace was complicated. We are facing one of the best teams in Portugal. I am sure it will be a difficult one. We have to be at our best level.”
From his vantage point, Porto have evolved.
“From what I have seen, I think they really enjoy playing now, they much enjoy controlling the game. That is a huge difference. When I was playing here, it was transition football. It is part of their DNA to be fighters.”
Pep, Enzo and the City way
The obvious comparison hovered over Nunes: how does Maresca stack up against Pep Guardiola, the man he worked under for three seasons?
“I was with Pep for three seasons and Enzo just a couple of months. Maybe in a few months I can answer that question,” he replied. “They are both very passionate so I see more comparisons than differences.”
That passion is being poured into a squad that has been refreshed again. Nunes praised the club’s recruitment, calling the new arrivals “incredible” and stressing that many were “the best players at the other teams.” His message was simple: players go, players come in, and the job for the dressing room is to help them settle.
On the recent deal for Enzo Fernandez, Nunes kept it to the players’ perspective: “We as players don’t know, we want to have the best players and Enzo is one of them. We were very happy. When a new player comes in, they did an amazing job with the transfer window.”
Cherki, creativity and control
Maresca also highlighted the role of Rayan Cherki in City’s structure, using the Frenchman as an example of how he wants to control matches.
“There is always a game plan and when we are in our side, Rayan drops a little to manage the tempo. When we are in the opposite side, we need him higher. He is dangerous with the last pass,” Maresca explained.
He pointed to the Coventry game, where Cherki’s deeper positioning helped City build, and to the second goal against Bournemouth, when the playmaker appeared in exactly the right pocket. “He is doing fantastic with us,” Maresca said, adding that Phil Foden can also provide that decisive ball between the lines. “We are very lucky.”
Expectations and pressure
The spending, the depth, the recent history – all of it fuels the same question: how heavy is the pressure?
“When you are City, the expectation is higher,” Maresca said. He refused to get dragged into anything beyond the day-to-day. “For me, the most important thing is for me to see that we are improving.”
On the Champions League, Nunes didn’t hide from the scale of the challenge. “Every year is different. The Champions League is the most difficult tournament, especially in the knockouts. You don’t play well, you are out. In the Premier League, you can come back. We want to win every season. This year will be no different.”
Porto away will not decide City’s season. It will, though, reveal how quickly Maresca’s ideas, his energy and his music have truly taken hold in a dressing room expected to rule Europe again.
