"How do you say in English? Happy wife, happy life. For us, happy Erling, happy life," Enzo said on Manchester City's early run. It fits the mood around the team. City have won five straight matches, including the Champions League win at Porto, and they came through a 1-0 derby victory at Manchester United at Old Trafford despite playing much of the game with 10 men after Phil Foden's sending-off.
Maresca's early authority
The clearest sign of control is not just the results, it is how City have handled awkward moments. Maresca said the pressure of replacing Pep Guardiola does not weigh on him, and that tone has filtered through to the squad. Ruben Dias said: "There's obviously many things from training sessions to some details about the way we press, details about the way we defend that make all of these Enzo's idea."
That has shown up in smaller details too. Maresca has introduced loud house music in training, the "boom, boom, boom" type as he described it, and he has been vocal about keeping Erling Haaland settled. The squad is reacting to that balance between structure and looseness.
What the run says about City
Four victories in as many games have turned into five straight across all competitions, and City are joint-top of the Premier League alongside Arsenal. The 1-0 win at Old Trafford was the kind of tight away result that often tells you more about a manager than a 4-0 stroll does.
Dias also said there is still continuity in the way City play, even if Maresca has changed details in pressing and defending. That feels about right. This has not been a noisy reboot, just a steady start with enough conviction to keep City level with Arsenal while they begin their Carabao Cup defence against Norwich at the Etihad on Thursday at 19:30 BST.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
