Manchester City Remain a Work in Progress, Admits Maresca

Manchester City's new manager Enzo Maresca has conceded that the team is still a work in progress after a thrilling win over Bournemouth. The Italian coach praised his side's spirit and physicality but acknowledged that they need to improve defensively.

Maresca's comments came after Sunday's last-gasp win over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. Marc Guéhi's 85th-minute equaliser and Josko Gvardiol's 91st-minute winner gave City's new manager victory in his first game, after Marcus Tavernier's first-half strike for the visitors.

Maresca thought his side performed similarly to last Sunday's 3-0 Community Shield loss to Arsenal. "I feel in the same position as after Arsenal," the Italian said. "It's normal you judge after results but I don't see big changes. Unfortunately, this is a work in progress and I'm looking for solutions."

The Italian coach praised his side's spirit and physicality, saying that they are going to get better and better. "We've still got [Erling] Haaland, Elliot [Anderson], Marc [Guéhi], Nico O'Reilly [who all started], who are in pre-season still. It's a huge difference in terms of physicality and we are going to get better and better."

Before the game City unfurled a huge tifo bearing Maresca's image that said: "Welcome back Enzo." Maresca said: "It is the perfect day. I was very pleased to see the banner when the game started. We gave them [fans] the joy at the end. It was quite emotional. The spirit was fantastic. It's a game we deserved to win [but] you don't need to wait for the last five minutes. We missed chances, then they scored and it became more complicated."

Maresca fielded Guéhi in an unfamiliar midfield role. "I know Marc from [Crystal] Palace and I always thought he could play as a midfielder because he is very good," the manager said. "So we tried it for a few days and I think he was quite good. He gives us a solution for the future."

In his first game managing Bournemouth, Marco Rose came close to leading them to a first away win against City. "We're competitors, we came here to win for the first time," said the German. "We were in a good way to do so. But we did many good things. We have a lot of things to improve. At the end, how the game went was quite unlucky to lose that way. We had two situations – one corner kick and one attacking [move] – when we defended too passively."

Manchester City's Current Form

Manchester City are currently 2nd in the Premier League, with 77 goals scored and 35 conceded (+42 goal difference). They are 7 points behind leaders Arsenal and have a recent form of 1W-2D-2L (LLDDW, most recent first). They have lost their last two games.

What Comes Next for Manchester City?

Manchester City will look to build on their win over Bournemouth and continue their improvement. They have a number of key players returning from injury, including Jérémy Doku and Ryan McAidoo.

League Standing (Final 2025 Table)

Manchester City finished the 2024-25 season in 2nd place in the Premier League, with 78 points from 38 games (23W-9D-6L). They are currently 2nd in the league, with 77 goals scored and 35 conceded (+42 goal difference).

Currently Sidelined

Jérémy Doku and Ryan McAidoo are currently sidelined for Manchester City.

Image Prompt

A photorealistic image of an anonymous Manchester City player in a white jersey with a blue collar and a pair of blue shorts, with a floodlight rim light and a shallow depth of field. The player is in the process of celebrating a goal with a teammate, with a huge smile on his face. The image should be taken with an 85mm f/1.4 lens, with a focus on the player's face and the ball at his feet.