Enzo Maresca says his first match as Manchester City boss is not a warm-up. It is a chance to win a trophy and begin cutting into Arsenal’s lead when the sides meet in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday.
The new Man City manager put the target plainly as he prepares to replace Pep Guardiola for the first time. Last term, Manchester City finished seven points shy of Arsenal, and Maresca said that is the measure he is taking into his first season. “For me personally, it's a trophy,” he said. “We want to try our best to win the first trophy.”
That makes Sunday more than a ceremonial start. Arsenal won the Premier League last year and now come in as the team others are measuring against, while a predictor from Sky Sports has them favored to keep their crown, four points clear of Manchester City. Maresca still framed the gap in simple terms. Arsenal, he said, have shown over the last few years that they have always been there, they are a fantastic team and they are well managed and well coached by Mikel Arteta. “But we are City, we want to close the gap,” he said.
Arteta, for his part, sounded ready for the first real test of a new rivalry. He said the best version of Arsenal has to be on Sunday and that the aim is to start the season by lifting the first trophy. “Now it's Enzo - who is as good as [Guardiola], because I know him well,” he said, adding that Maresca will bring something different to the club. He also said Arsenal have a clean bill of health apart from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, while Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi have yet to play in pre-season.
Maresca added that Erling Haaland is “ok” after a small issue behind the heel and said everyone else is fit, though some players only returned two days ago from their summer break. That leaves the first competitive look at Manchester City under Maresca with a familiar pressure attached: prove the reset is real, or watch Arsenal walk away with the season’s first silverware. Arsenal open against Coventry five days later, and Manchester City follow two days after that against Bournemouth.
