Manchester City win 5-3 but Maresca wants more control
17 City players have been called up for international duty, including Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rayan Cherki, while Jeremy Doku is out injured and Phil Foden misses England's squad.
City beat Sunderland 5-3 to stay perfect, but Maresca's side looked shaky at the back as Brian Brobbey hit a hat-trick in an unsettled defensive display.
Maresca welcomed City's 5-3 win over Sunderland but admitted he would rather win 1-0, saying they must control games better after conceding "too easy" goals.
City are among the clubs monitoring Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read, with Liverpool and Arsenal also tracking the Dutch 20-year-old ahead of a possible 2027 move.
Manchester City are among several European clubs tracking FC Copenhagen's 15-year-old midfielder Ilyas Houira, who has dual Moroccan-Danish nationality and Morocco U17 recognition.
City's attacking depth proved decisive in the 5-3 win over Sunderland, with Enzo Fernández, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland scoring to underline their varied firepower.
Manchester City had a scout watch Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt in the 3-1 win over Benfica, where the 20-year-old scored and starred on his return from concussion.
Brian Brobbey struck all three Sunderland goals in City's 5-3 win at the Etihad, bullying the defence and earning Player of the Week despite the visitors' defeat.
Sunderland's Régis Le Bris praised his side's "no compromise" display after City's 5-3 win, with Brian Brobbey's hat-trick pushing Maresca's team despite defeat.
Bayern are assessing a future move for Erling Haaland as Harry Kane contract talks advance, but any bid for the Manchester City striker depends on Kane's timeline in Munich.
Rayan Ait-Nouri could leave City in January, with Juventus set to revive interest after the £31m left-back fell behind Nico O'Reilly and Josko Gvardiol under Maresca.
Joe Hart hailed Rayan Cherki as a "genius" after City's 5-3 win over Sunderland, comparing his calm, clever goal and ability to "control chaos" to David Silva.
City head into the break unbeaten and top. Enzo Maresca, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma are rated winners, while Phil Foden's form and Jeremy Doku's injury make them losers.
