Marresca: Sherki's Outstanding Off-the-Ball Performance Successfully Restricted Watson

2026-08-30

Following Manchester City's 4-1 away victory against Crystal Palace, manager Enzo Marresca spoke to the media, sharing his insights on the match.

Enzo, first of all, congratulations on the victory. You mentioned that playing here is always tough, but in the end, you made it look relatively easy.

It certainly was challenging in the first 5 to 10 minutes. This is a tough venue with a solid opponent. However, as I said, after those first 10 minutes, we took control of the game, both offensively and defensively, and the victory was well-deserved.

The tactical adjustments were evident today, with Gueye in defense and Nico (O'Reilly) shifted to midfield. How do you feel about those changes?

We are always looking for new solutions. As you pointed out, Gueye played in midfield against Bournemouth. This time, we made adjustments and tried a different tactical setup.

With such an outstanding squad, many players might feel disappointed not to start. But Rayan Sherki responded in the best way possible, providing an assist off the bench against Bournemouth and delivering an impressive display today.

That's the kind of performance we need! Today, players like Kovacic were exceptional; young Ryan McAdoo also made a significant impact, while Braithwaite and Vitor Reis shone as well. I believe all the substitutes who came on in the second half, including Ayoub Bouadi, performed excellently. These performances give hope when you’re building a team.

Nevertheless, Sherki's performance remains the highlight; his style of play is very entertaining, and he scored two goals. What impressed you the most about him today?

What I appreciated most was his off-the-ball work. He was outstanding in that phase of the game. Everyone knows he has impressive technical ability, but when he defends actively and puts in a shift like he did tonight, it's commendable. He successfully restricted Watson and did very well.

Haaland was also impressive today, scoring twice, despite some earlier criticism regarding his lack of goals.

We’re only in the second match of the season, so there’s no need to worry excessively.

Right, expectations are indeed high for him.

We know Haaland very well. As long as we can create more chances, he will perform better. Therefore, we’ll do everything we can to provide him with more opportunities to attack.

Can I ask about Phil Foden? He started again today and could have scored two goals; he might be a bit disappointed, but his energy was evident.

Indeed, especially in the last 10 to 15 minutes, he was impressive on the pitch. He looked much happier when he moved to a more suitable position, operating behind Haaland. Although he has been trying his best to adapt to a wide role, he contributes significantly to the team’s success.

Yes, speaking of adaptation, what changes do you hope to see from him? Currently, he’s mainly positioned on the wing.

His work ethic is excellent, and his recent performances have been very good.