There Is a Silver Lining: "Maresca" Reveals 2 Factors Behind Man City's Heavy Loss to Arsenal, Missing Community Shield Title
On 17 August 2026 GMT+7, Enzo Maresca, Manchester City's manager, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after the 2026 Community Shield match, where they suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
"I think conceding a goal just 25 seconds into the game unfortunately impacted the match at that moment."
"But I feel the team's response after conceding was quite good. Before they scored their second goal, we had 3-4 chances to equalize, but unfortunately, we conceded the second goal first, which made the situation more complicated and difficult."
Regarding conceding the first goal so quickly at 25 seconds: "It was disappointing because at this level, both teams have very similar quality. When you concede first, it becomes a tough challenge. However, I think the team's performance after that first goal was decent. We created several chances, but as I said, when it became 2-0, everything got even harder."
On the team's overall performance (excluding the goals conceded): "After the first goal, I was quite satisfied because we didn't allow the opponents any further clear chances, and we created 3-4 opportunities to equalize."
"Unfortunately, we conceded the second goal due to a mistake. But this is just the beginning. Starting next Sunday, we will kick off the Premier League season, and from now on, we need to focus mainly on that."
What needs to be done moving forward: "There are many things we still need to improve and fix. The season has just started, so there are many aspects we must make better. Honestly, even if we had won, there would still be areas to correct and improve."
Manchester City still has time to regroup under new manager Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola. They are scheduled to start the 2026-27 Premier League season at home against Bournemouth on Sunday, 23 August 2026 GMT+7.