Enzo Maresca reflected on his strong start to the season as the international break looms for Manchester City following the visit of Sunderland to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
‘I’m quite confident we can do a good job’
The Italian is familiar with the blue half of Manchester from his days as an assistant coach for Pep Guardiola. Many faces have changed, but the desire to compete and sustain standards remains.
"When I decided to join the club, I was quite sure that the club is a good club and the players are good players. At the same time, I knew that the club was in a moment of change after 10 years with the same manager and Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Nathan Ake [also leaving]. It's normal that there is a change, but at the same time, I'm quite confident that we can do a good job.
“The players are a completely different squad - there are three or four players from my last season here. I spend my days with the players so it's new. I'm happy because I can see we're improving.
“First of all, the players [are responsible for making a strong start to the season.] The main thing when you join a new club is you can see that the players understand what the manager wants. I can see day by day, game by game, even with many changes, it's very clear for them what we want.”
‘They are very strong, very well coached’
A 5-0 win in the Carabao Cup in midweek over Championship opposition meant Maresca could afford to rest and rotate key individuals, knowing that the Black Cats will bring a tough challenge.
And after their 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar on their Europa League debut, spirits shall be high.
"It was very important [to rotate against Norwich City in midweek.] We gave rest to the ones that played back-to-back 90 minutes against Porto and Manchester United. It was important for them to give them rest and hopefully they can be full of energy for Sunday's game as it will be a strong game.
"I watched the game live against Arsenal and then I watched it again in the past few days. You can see how strong [Sunderland] are.
“They didn't deserve to lose that game. They are very strong, very well coached by their manager and they have already had time together, so you can see what they want to do on and off the ball. My feeling, after watching them, is that Sunday will be the toughest game since the start of the season."
