Maresca sets sights on keeping Manchester City in title race ahead of Bournemouth clash
By Joel Masibo, August 23, 2026Enzo Maresca has made it clear that Manchester City’s immediate ambition is not to predict how many trophies they will win but to ensure they remain in the mix when the decisive stages of the campaign arrive.
Maresca will oversee his first home match as City manager on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with Bournemouth visiting the Etihad Stadium for a Premier League encounter.
City enter a new chapter following the end of Pep Guardiola’s long tenure. The club previously enjoyed an extraordinary run, becoming the first men’s English side to secure four consecutive top-flight championships.
However, they have been unable to reclaim the Premier League crown during the past two seasons.
Despite that recent setback, City remain one of England’s most successful teams, having collected 20 major trophies over the last 10 years.
Maresca believes the demanding nature of a full campaign makes it premature to establish specific trophy targets at this stage. Instead, he wants his squad to remain competitive throughout the season and put themselves in a strong position when the key months arrive.
“At the beginning of the season you don’t set targets in terms of trophies,” he said on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
“The target since day one has been quite clear with the club and the players, it’s to compete. You arrive in March and April to be there, and then we will see what happens.”
The Italian therefore wants City to build consistency and maintain their challenge deep into the campaign before assessing what silverware could ultimately be within their reach.
With a new manager at the helm, the 2026/27 season represents an important fresh start for Manchester City as they attempt to return to the summit of English football and challenge for honours across all competitions.
Bad signs
Meanwhile, heading into the Bournemouth encounter, Maresca expressed disappointment after his side suffered a 3–0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the Principality Stadium.
Speaking after the match, City’s new boss stressed that conceding an early goal severely impacted the overall outcome of his debut competitive fixture in charge.
“Conceding after just 25 seconds affected the game, and I was very disappointed about it. In games like this, the margins between the two teams are extremely small. So when you concede an early goal, the task becomes much more difficult,” Maresca said.