Maresca maintains almost total control as he follows Manchester City owners’ line | Jamie Jackson

Manager’s media conference was three times busier than usual, but he and his club are still speaking with one voice – for now Enzo Maresca’s first public display since Manchester City were found guilty on virtually all counts of breaching Premier League financial rules was controlled – apart from the sole, and telling, slip-up of his very first answer.

In Thursday’s pre-emptive PR move, the club had Maresca tell their channels that he was aware of the “noise” around City.

Fast forward 24 hours, and to a packed media conference of 45 attendees – around a threefold increase on the norm – at the Etihad Campus, the Italian was asked if this was dismissive of the anger felt towards the club’s cheating.