Six from six, but PSG exposed the cracks: how good are Maresca's Manchester City?
City's new manager has made the perfect domestic start after replacing Pep Guardiola. A home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain shows what still needs work.
Replacing Pep Guardiola was always going to be the hardest job in English football. Less than four months into the job, Enzo Maresca has given Manchester City the best possible answer in the Premier League — and a warning in Europe.
The domestic record
City have won all six league matches, including a 3–0 win over Liverpool and a 1–0 victory at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby. They have been ruthless in front of goal: Erling Haaland led the Premier League scoring charts in September, and the 5–3 win at Sunderland later that month was the highest-scoring Premier League game of the season at the time.
That Sunderland game also hinted at the other side of the story. Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick for the hosts, and City's willingness to commit numbers forward left them exposed in transition.
What PSG showed
Paris Saint-Germain made the same point far more forcefully at the Etihad in midweek. They were 3–0 up after 32 minutes, scoring three times in a 19-minute spell, and went on to win 4–2. Haaland's second-half double made the scoreline respectable, but City finished the night 17th in the league phase with three points from two games.
The common thread: City are at their most vulnerable when opponents break quickly through midfield before their defence has reset.
What comes next
Ipswich Town visit on Saturday with nine points from six games. On paper it is a chance to make it seven from seven, but Maresca will also be thinking about Matchday 3 in Europe, where City need points to stay on course for the top eight.
Our view: the league table says City are the best team in England, and the evidence supports it. The PSG game says they are not yet the best team in Europe. How quickly Maresca tightens the gaps between midfield and defence will decide which of those statements matters more in May.
