Enzo Maresca Reveals Pep Guardiola Visit After Man City's PSG Defeat: 'It'll Always Be His House'

Maresca Meets Guardiola in the Aftermath of PSG Setback

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that he met with Pep Guardiola following the club's Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, describing the Etihad Stadium as a place that "will always be his house".

Guardiola was at the stadium to show his support in the wake of the independent commission's guilty verdict over the club's 115 Premier League charges — a verdict that has dominated the English football conversation in recent weeks.

Maresca shared how his predecessor sought him out after the setback against the two-time defending European champions, and struck an upbeat tone about the encounter.

"I saw him after the game," Maresca said. "Not before, we were talking about the game, the first half, the second half, he was very happy to be at the stadium.

"Very positive about things he's seen in the game. It was great for the fans to see him at the stadium. It'll always be his house."

The defeat to PSG followed a dramatic midweek outing at the Etihad. According to prior reporting on 14 October, City trailed the French side 3-0 at half-time before a late fightback in what finished as a 4-2 home defeat in the Champions League, with Maresca insisting afterwards that his side had proven they are close to the defending champions.

Boss Backs City's Handling of the Fallout

Maresca is also content with how the club has handled the damaging news surrounding the guilty verdict, and insisted his trust in City remains absolute.

"We handled it quite good, the fans, the team, everyone, tomorrow is three points game, the same as Anfield away, it's important to continue the run and try to win," Maresca added.

"I'm very happy, I said many times, I don't feel any kind of stress about the outside situation, it's something I don't control. I focus on how to win the next games.

"I'm quite respectful person, everyone can say what they want and agree with what they want. From my point of view, the wise way is to wait for the final word. People want to speak about this situation. I completely trust the club, I don't need people outside of the club to understand the situation. It's very clear, I trust the club, 100 per cent."

The manager's comments come after City were found guilty on virtually all counts of breaching Premier League financial regulations, per prior reporting on 26 September, which triggered widespread fallout across football, politics and culture. Maresca had responded cryptically at the time as the scale of the verdict emerged.

City Eye Six-Point Cushion Against Ipswich

City now turn their attention back to domestic matters, with the Premier League leaders aiming to extend their advantage at the top.

"It's very dangerous, they have the whole week to prepare. It'll be very tough, for us it's important, a great opportunity to win and go six points clear," Maresca said.

The fixture follows last week's 3-0 win at Liverpool, during which City's travelling supporters in the away section at Anfield celebrated with blow-up bananas — a nod to the club's past in the lower divisions.

Maresca is keen to see the gesture repeated at the weekend, and admitted the display caught him by surprise.

"It was very nice," Maresca admitted. "I didn't know the history about the bananas, I hope to see many bananas in the stadium.

"It creates a nice environment for the fans and everyone in the stadium. I have four kids, they already asked me, tomorrow they will be in the stadium and ask me."

With the on-field challenge of PSG now behind them and the off-field storm still rumbling on, Maresca's message is clear: control what can be controlled, and keep the run going.