Maresca settles the situation of Rodri and Reijnders, and refuses to talk about Enzo Fernández
A final embrace and a veiled message
Enzo Maresca has underlined the importance of Manchester City's showdown with Arsenal, set for Sunday at the Millennium Stadium in the Welsh capital Cardiff in the English Community Shield.
The match matters more than most to Maresca. It is his first official fixture in charge of Manchester City, arriving right at the start of the new season.
Maresca said during the press conference for the match: "Arsenal have proven over the past few years that they are a constant and strong competitor. They are a wonderful team built by Mikel Arteta. They have delivered impressive performances and shown how strong they have been recently. But at the same time, we are Manchester City, and we will seek to close the gap and compete strongly."
The Community Shield is not a friendly
City treat the clash with Arsenal as a fight for a title, the Italian insisted, not merely a warm-up before the campaign begins.
He explained: "For me personally, the Community Shield is a title, and when there is a title and a final, you always seek to win. So it is not a friendly at all, but a title we will do our utmost to win and to claim our first trophy."
"It is important that we keep growing and improving," he continued. "I think the pre-season period was good, and the team's performance saw continuous improvement from one match to the next. Now, after the preparation period has ended, we have to compete, achieve victories, and collect titles."
"What I want to see is having the right spirit to keep developing, and possessing the right mentality to win matches and collect titles," he added.
Maresca turned to the changes sweeping through Manchester City in the current period, saying: "We are witnessing a phase of change at present, and once the transfer window closes, we will have to be ready to find solutions for the team as quickly as possible."
He went on: "We are going through a phase that is seeing the departure of players who have spent many years here, or the possibility of their departure, and this means there is change taking place, and we will do our utmost to deal with it."
Injury situation ahead of the Arsenal clash
Turning to fitness, Maresca revealed that City go into the Arsenal clash with an almost complete squad. Rayan Ait-Nouri is the only player who is not fully ready.
He said: "Rayan Ait-Nouri suffered a minor problem during pre-season, but he has already trained with us, so everyone is ready, taking into account that some players joined the team only two days ago."
Erling Haaland is fine, Maresca confirmed, after the Norwegian striker sat out the final minutes of Thursday's training session.
As for Savinho, he said: "He did not take part in yesterday's training session, as he was suffering from a minor ailment. We will see the situation today, as the training session will be held in the afternoon, and we will assess his condition to decide whether he will be available to feature against Arsenal."
Maresca comments on Rodri's future
Asked about the latest on Rodri's future, Maresca said: "As I have said before, the transfer window is open. We can buy players or sell them, and all possibilities are on the table. I have just seen Rodri inside the building and embraced him warmly, and we will see what happens."
Convincing players to stay once they have decided to go is no easy task, the manager admitted, saying: "It is somewhat difficult to convince players to stay when they have already been persuaded to leave. This applies to the situation of Tijjani Reijnders, and perhaps James Trafford and some other players."
He added: "I think that when the club, the player, and the manager agree that the best decision for some players is to leave, then departure becomes necessary."
Reijnders close to leaving City
Those remarks point to a consensus within Manchester City that Tijjani Reijnders' departure suits both player and club, despite the Dutch midfielder joining only last summer.
Saudi club Al-Qadsiah have agreed to buy Reijnders for 52 million pounds sterling, with the deal expected to be completed in the coming period.
Reijnders travelled with the team in Manchester on Thursday but did not take part in the training session held in front of the fans at Manchester City's football academy.
Maresca refuses to talk about Enzo Fernandez
On the latest developments regarding Enzo Fernandez, Maresca stuck firmly to his refusal to comment on players linked to other clubs.
He said: "I have to give you the same answer I gave from day one, an answer that will always remain the same. He is a player belonging to another club, and I do not think it is right to talk about other players."
Pressed on the deadline for the deal and whether City would make any move today, he replied: "Not today, honestly. I do not think we will make any move today."
Maresca reveals Manchester City's needs
City still have business to do in the market, Maresca confirmed when the talk turned to strengthening the squad.
He said: "Certainly, there are things we need to do. As for the number, I do not know at the moment. It could be one player or two, and it also depends on whether there are players who will leave the team."
He concluded: "At this moment, and 48 hours before playing a final, which is my first with this club, my focus is not on players leaving or arriving, but all my attention is on how best to prepare for the match and try to win the title."
