Enzo Maresca is not in the mood to let one refereeing flashpoint define his week, nor his team.
Three days on from that chaotic derby at Old Trafford, the Manchester City head coach bristled at the idea that Erling Haaland’s controversial goal should dominate the conversation, especially after his side had battled with 10 men for most of the afternoon.
“To talk about one moment after that game when we played for 70, 75 minutes with 10 players is quite poor,” he said. “I think the performance was unbelievable and I'm pleased.”
City’s display, in his eyes, deserved more than a debate over lines, angles and VAR stills. They had survived, adapted, and at times controlled the derby under heavy strain. That, he felt, was the real story.
Old Wounds at Old Trafford
If Maresca sounded irritated, there is a reason. He has a long memory.
He quickly drew a line back to 2023, when Marcus Rashford’s highly disputed involvement in a United goal against City sparked uproar but no formal climbdown.
“Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you,” he said. “Three years ago when I was here happened the exact same against Manchester United. The goal was not a regular goal and no one apologised. We are still waiting for the apology for that.”
No rant. No theatrics. Just a pointed reminder that City have been on the other end of the controversy, and that apologies rarely arrive when decisions cut against them.
Foden’s Flash of Red
If the Haaland incident lit up the debate outside, Phil Foden’s red card lit up Maresca’s team sheet. The young midfielder’s dismissal changed the shape of the derby and now reshapes City’s short-term plans.
“At half-time he was upset and sad because he knew it was something wrong,” Maresca revealed. “After the game he was a bit more relieved and happy. Yesterday he was very good. He knows that the reaction was probably not a good one but it is finished and we move on.”
The emotional swing told its own story. Foden knew he had let the team down, steadied himself, and has already been pushed to park it. Maresca, though, knows the cost.
“It's a big one,” he admitted of the suspension. “He was doing well with us. He started quite well before his red card. Now he is out tomorrow against Norwich and for Sunderland and Liverpool. Then he is back again.”
City are still weighing up whether to appeal. For now, Maresca has to plan without a player who had started the season sharply and looked central to his early blueprint.
Opportunity in the Cup
Foden’s absence forces change, but Maresca sees more than a problem. He sees an opening for the rest of his squad, starting with the League Cup tie against Norwich.
“The ones that are going to play, I'm sure that they are going to play important games, in the Premier League or Champions League,” he said. “Now it's early season with no injuries or suspended players. In November, December, January and February, with the amount of games, we will need rest. The players that are going to play tomorrow, it's an opportunity for them to get better and better. At some point we need them.”
That is the reality of a City season: relentless fixtures, constant rotation, no hiding places. Norwich may sit outside the Premier League, but this is not a night for passengers.
“One more competition,” Maresca said of the League Cup. “We need to compete in all of the competitions. We will try our best and we will see where we finish.”
There was no hint of treating it as a distraction. For a coach trying to embed ideas and build depth, these games matter.
Maresca Wants the Tests
Maresca has said before that he prefers Premier League opposition in cup competitions. The question came again. Has he changed his mind?
“Absolutely,” he replied. “They are all tricky games, different games. We need to do our job in the right way and I have no doubt it will be a tricky game for many reasons.”
Norwich away, a reshuffled side, a simmering sense of injustice from the derby, and a suspension to a key young star: it is exactly the sort of night that tests the resilience of a squad and the clarity of a manager’s ideas.
The decisions in Manchester will be argued over for weeks. Maresca, though, has already moved on to the only verdict that really counts now: what his team produce in the next 90 minutes.
