Maresca happy with Man City performance despite friendly loss to Inter

Enzo Maresca, the new manager of Manchester City, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance in his debut match, despite a penalty shootout loss to Inter Milan. The pre-season friendly, held in Hong Kong, ended 1-1 after regular time, with Inter ultimately winning the shootout 3-1.

“

I’m very happy with the performance. Many positive things, including minutes for the legs, that’s very important.

Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola in June, stated he was "very happy" with the game. "Many positive things, including minutes for the legs, that's very important," he told reporters. He acknowledged areas for improvement but expressed confidence in the team's gradual progress.

Manchester City took the lead in the 14th minute through Divin Mubama, assisted by Antoine Semenyo. Semenyo was a constant threat, nearly scoring a solo goal earlier. Inter Milan equalized when Benjamin Pavard scored after a City defensive lapse.

“

Like always, there are things we can do better, but slowly, slowly, we’re going to improve.

Both teams had opportunities in the second half, with City's Vitor Reis and Ryan McAidoo hitting the woodwork. Maresca noted that the team's pressing strategy improved significantly in the second half after adjustments at halftime. He faces the challenge of succeeding Guardiola, who achieved immense success during his decade at the club.

“

We were pressing in the wrong way, we conceded some switches of play… because we were late in the pressing. At half-time we adjusted something, and I think, second half, in terms of pressing, we were much, much better.