Maresca defends failed Midfield experiment after Man City’s defeat to Brighton

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca defended his tactical setup following a 1-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton, insisting his decision to start a physical midfield trio was the right call.​

According to Manchester Evening News, Maresca selected Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, and Ayyoub Bouaddi to combat Brighton’s aggressive style.

However, the system lasted just 55 minutes before Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden were introduced to provide a needed spark.

​”I expected a physical game. Analysing them, watching them they are aggressive man-to-man,” Maresca explained. “I think it was a good idea to start with three physical midfielders and I was also thinking about last 20-30 minutes to refresh with Rayan, Allan, Phil. In this moment it is like this and we need just to move on.”​

The loss marks back-to-back league defeats for City. Anderson acknowledged the setback, saying, “We created a lot of chances. Disappointing to lose. We didn’t manage to put chances away, on another day we put three or four away.”