Enzo Maresca faces press on Friday, seeks Al Mubarak, Soriano apology
Enzo Maresca is set to confront Manchester City’s media on Friday, a press conference that follows his bleak remarks at a Chelsea press briefing in December 2025, where he warned that the previous 48 hours had been the worst of his tenure because “many people didn’t support us”.
Press conference set for Friday
Enzo Maresca will sit in front of the world’s media as Manchester City’s boss on Friday, where he is expected to call for cool heads and concentrate solely on the next match. The club’s hierarchy has scheduled the session after a turbulent 48‑hour period for the Italian coach. He will address the press in the same venue where he criticised the lack of support at a Chelsea press conference.
The Blues had hosted Maresca earlier in December, where he warned that the previous two days had been the worst of his tenure because “many people didn’t support us”. That comment underlines the strain he feels after taking charge of a side that has just secured maximum points from its first five Premier League fixtures.
City sit atop the Premier League
Manchester City sit top of the Premier League after amassing a perfect ten points from their opening five games. Maresca has been praised for making the job seem easier than the benchmark set by Pep Guardiola. His most immediate tactical worry, according to the club’s internal reports, has been a Brian Brobbey hat‑trick in a recent fixture.
He is also slated to address his City players for the first time since the club received a guilty verdict on Thursday. The meeting will precede a daunting test at Liverpool’s Anfield on Sunday, a clash that could test the squad’s resolve under his leadership.
Calls for Al Mubarak and Soriano apology
Supporters of the Blues anticipate a hostile reception, with fans expected to create banners, chants and a “brutal” atmosphere aimed at the club’s hierarchy. Maresca, who does not hold a Roberto Mancini‑style double contract, is likely to bear the brunt of that abuse despite not being responsible for the financial‑fair‑play breaches.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano have been singled out as the figures who owe Maresca an apology for appointing him to a role that the coach describes as a “poisoned chalice”. The manager has hinted that, should the appeal against the financial verdict fail, he may consider leaving the club to preserve his reputation.
Despite the turmoil, Maresca remains grateful for the opportunities City have given him, from his early days as Pep Guardiola’s assistant to his current full‑time reins. He insists he will toe the party line in the Friday briefing, trusting the owners’ innocence while navigating a media storm that could become the most‑watched press conference in football history.