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Paul McNamara

Enzo Maresca played a straight bat in a 12-minute press conference, as he uttered his last public words before taking charge of Manchester City for the first time on Saturday against Inter Milan.
Italian Maresca played down the importance of making a fast start as boss, saying he was ready to be “judged always, not just tomorrow”.
The former Chelsea boss refused to be drawn into the controversy over Fifa’s deeply unpopular plot to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors, and gave short shrift to questions over the future of midfielder Rodri, a player young teammate Ryan McAidoo would later call “arguably the best No 6 ever to play the game”.
Nonetheless, Maresca did not entirely rule out the prospect of Erling Haaland joining the South Korean leg of City’s Asian tour.
Maresca and McAidoo spoke either side of City’s 1½-hour open training session on Friday at Kai Tak Stadium, whose bosses announced an attendance of 22,858, from around 27,000 issued tickets. To the naked eye, the 50,000-seat venue appeared about one-fifth full, while organisers might have winced at the sight of the playing field cutting up.
Appointed in June to replace Pep Guardiola, who delivered a mind-boggling 17 trophies during his 10-year tenure, Maresca vowed to do the job in his own style.
“I don’t believe in copy and paste,” he said. “Every manager can bring something different, so it’s my target, and my duty, to try to introduce some new ideas. In general, [the job is] a privilege.”

Still, Maresca will need to hit the ground running to convince supporters and pundits that the exit of Guardiola has not drawn the curtain on a golden City era.
“I think day by day, we’re always going to be judged, not just tomorrow,” Maresca said.
“We’ve introduced some new concepts and the main focus tomorrow is to see something [of them].”
Maresca said that Portugal World Cup pair Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes, and Omar Marmoush of Egypt, would touch down in Hong Kong on Saturday, but that none of the trio would figure against Inter.
After the Kai Tak game, City will travel to Seoul for meetings with the K-League All Stars and Atletico Madrid on August 5 and 9, respectively, both dates falling beyond the mandatory three-week rest period that Haaland had to observe after playing for Norway against England on July 12.
Asked if Haaland and others might surface in the Korean capital, Maresca said: “They need the rest after the World Cup … Ruben, Matheus and Omar will arrive, then the rest of them need a holiday and, slowly, they’re going to be back.”
Maresca said he could “not say too much” regarding Fifa’s plan to seek private investment, claiming he “doesn’t know exactly the details”.

World Cup winner Rodri has stayed at home following back surgery last week, and Maresca said stories linking the 30-year-old with Real Madrid were “just speculation”. He confirmed there had been no talks with the Spaniard over extending a contract that expires next summer.
“Any manager in the world would want Rodri because he’s a top player, so it’s important for me, for the club, for everyone [that he stays],” said Maresca, who intimated that the club were not finished in the transfer market following their £116 million (US$156 million) capture of England midfielder Elliot Anderson.
While Maresca said that “physical conditioning” was a key objective against Inter, the 18-year-old winger McAidoo, who is likely to play from the bench, said he wanted to use the occasion to “express myself and show the world what I can do”.
“They’re strong opponents, but we’re one of the best clubs in the world, so it’s going to be a good game,” added McAidoo, who scored on his senior debut in a 10-1 FA Cup rout of Exeter City last season.
Signed from Chelsea two years ago, McAidoo said his first experience of Hong Kong and Kai Tak had been “overwhelming”.
“It’s a very nice stadium and the fans are beautiful,” he said. “If the pitch cuts up, we just have to adapt. It’s not really a problem for us.”
McAidoo said his two senior appearances last term had been “a confidence booster”.
“The more experience you get, the more comfortable you become playing against men,” he added. “I want more and more of it, and to become a better player.”


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Enzo Maresca ready for Manchester City judgment days ahead of Hong Kong clash

Rayan Ait-Nouri fends off Antoine Semenyo during Manchester City’s training session at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Enzo Maresca speaks to the press ahead of his first game in charge of Manchester City. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Manchester City fans capture images of their heroes training at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Football Festival: Inter Milan coach vows to ‘do our best’ against Man City

Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu, who said his team was “still not 100 per cent physically or mentally”, paid tribute to the late Franco Baresi, who played for rival club AC Milan. Photo: AFP

England defender John Stones will bring “personality and charisma”, Chivu says. Photo: Reuters

Nicolo Barella (being carried) will captain Inter Milan in the absence of Lautaro Martinez. Photo: Xinhua

After World Cup chaos, Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol in Hong Kong targeting key role

Manchester City’s Croatian World Cup defender Josko Gvardiol will play under Italian manager Enzo Maresca for the first time at Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday. Photo: dpa

Josko Gvardiol (4) scores a goal against Portugal that was later disallowed by VAR at the World Cup. Photo: AP

Erling Haaland (left), shaking hands with Josko Gvardiol, is one of the few players remaining from Manchester City’s 2023 treble-winning side. Photo: AP

Sport

Football

New boss shrugs off pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola and vows to not be ‘copy-and-paste’ boss, does not rule out Erling Haaland Korea trip


New boss shrugs off pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola and vows to not be ‘copy-and-paste’ boss, does not rule out Erling Haaland Korea trip.


Kai Tak Sports Park

English Premier League

Pep Guardiola

Erling Haaland

Enzo Maresca ready for Manchester City judgment days ahead of Hong Kong clash

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New boss shrugs off pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola and vows to not be ‘copy-and-paste’ boss, does not rule out Erling Haaland Korea trip

New boss shrugs off pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola and vows to not be ‘copy-and-paste’ boss, does not rule out Erling Haaland Korea trip