Finding the right words under pressure is hard, even for managers who do it every week. PMR tracks how well they manage it in the minutes after a match.
I learned how much those words matter in places where lives were on the line. One of those moments came down to three seconds. I’ll tell you about it at the end.
Every post-match interview Enzo Maresca has given in Premier Managers Revealed 2026/27, collected in one place: the quotes, the score out of 12, the Identity level and the analysis, matchweek by matchweek. For the latest standings, see the Premier Managers Revealed league tables.
Matchweek 1
Manchester City 2 – 1 AFC Bournemouth
Sunday 23 August, Etihad Stadium
Enzo Maresca — Manchester City (home)
10/12 · Identity level fed: Capability
“To be honest, even in the first half we were good before the goal we concede we didn’t concede one shot and had three or four clear chances to score. But then they scored the goal and it became a bit more difficult. But overall I think we deserved to win the game.”
“Also I think second half they drop a little bit. Also because we kept the ball for most of the first half, so they run a lot. Second half they dropped a bit. It is a game that we don’t need to win in 90 minutes. It’s a game we probably deserve to win before.”
On playing Marc Guéhi in midfield: “We are looking for solutions. I knew Marc since he was at Palace. I really like him. I think that he can be a midfielder also. He can be a central defend stepping in or he can play as a midfielder like today. We tried this week the first few days a central defender stepping in, then the last two days as a midfielder and I think it was good.”
“Again, we are looking for solutions. We need different solutions. Today was Marc in the middle. He showed he can be good there. He can give us more solutions in the future in case we need it. Again, we are going to try different things because it is a matter of being dynamic and try to surprise the opponent.”
“We have four or five players that are still not fit 100 percent. The reason why is because they arrive late from the World Cup. Nico O’Reilly, Elliot, Erling and one or two more now I don’t remember, so we are just trying to find solutions. I think Antoine [Semenyo] was quite good. Erling, we can see that he is still not 100 percent but in any case he is still dangerous, so just try to do our best.”
“To win the game. That is the most difficult thing. We visualize things and we see if they work. But at the same time you need to win games so it is not easy. Today I think we have been also lucky.”
On transfers: “One more week [of transfer window], we will see what happens before the transfer window finishes.” … “Not yet. I will ask now, but nobody told me nothing.”
On Rayan Cherki: “When he was on in the second half he did very well. He is a fantastic player. I love that kind of player like Rayan. He is going to be very, very good for us.”
Maresca talks about solutions more than results. He explains why he put Guéhi in midfield, how he tried it two ways in training across the week, and what it might give City later in the season. On Cherki he is warm and specific, saying he loves that kind of player and expects him to be very good for them. He is straight about the win too, admitting City were lucky. Where it thins out is the group. There is a lot about individuals and tactics and almost nothing about what City are as a team, or what the squad should take into next week.
Source: NBC Sports, “Enzo Maresca reaction: What did Manchester City boss say after stunning late win vs Bournemouth?” — nbcsports.com
Matchweek 2
Crystal Palace 1 – 4 Manchester City
Friday 28 August, Selhurst Park
Enzo Maresca – Manchester City (away)
8/12 · Identity level fed: Capability
For sure he’s happy. His performance for me was very good not just the two goals but the way he worked off the ball. When Palace had the ball, he was in charge of Adam Wharton, I think his game was a complete game on the ball and off the ball. Probably he was not playing at his level in the first half.
But we were happy with his performance off the ball. Then second half he scored twice and for sure he’s much more happy. First of all, he loves football. So that makes it easier to work with him.
Rayan is like this, we know how good he is. We know the quality that he has. In this moment, he is helping the team with the numbers in term of goals and assists and no doubt he’s going to help more in the future. He’s helping us.
He’s going to help us in the future. We know he is a quality player. Rayan was very, very good off the ball. He was in control of [Adam] Wharton.
He was impressive last week against Bournemouth as a midfielder and tonight as a central defender. It’s what we need. He is a player who has an open mind and can be versatile and try to help the team. His performance tonight was very good.
We’ll see we have 2 or 3 days for the transfer window and then to decide for the captains, we will see.
Maresca spends most of the answer naming qualities in individuals. Haaland works without the ball, Cherki loves football and has the quality to help the team, and Guéhi has the open mind to play in more than one position. Those are credible SQAs and they feed Capability. The win itself receives less attention, and there is little about the group’s next piece of work, so the score stops at eight.
Source: BBC Sport post-match interview, via Yahoo Sports, source page
Matchweek 3
Manchester City 1–0 Coventry City
Etihad Stadium · Haaland 26′
Enzo Maresca (Manchester City)
Source: BBC Sport, “Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye show signs of promise”, 5 September 2026
Q: On Enzo Fernández’s debut?
It is much more easier when a player you already share time together [joins] because they know exactly what you want. We know each other very well, I know how good he is and I know that he is going to help the team to win games.
Q: On Iliman Ndiaye?
Ili just had two sessions with us. He needs to understand how to move. Most of the time he was moving in the wrong way, wrong position, but he needs to learn and for sure he is going to learn. When Marc Guehi has the ball and he was dropping a lot and we don’t need that. We need him in the last third so he can be a little bit more higher. That space was more for Josko Gvardiol. It is the same thing in this [other] side. But it is normal and with time they will learn the way we want them to play.
Q: On Elliott Anderson?
Really impressed. Not just today. He was very good against Palace; he was also very good against Bournemouth, having only been one week with us when we changed him for cramp. But the best thing with Elliot is the day by day. He is asking how he can learn. We sit with him one-v-one video [analysis] and he wants to be better, and that is the best thing for any player.
9/12 · Identity level fed: Capability
Maresca gives Fernández and Anderson strong Capability messages, especially Anderson’s wish to learn and improve every day. His correction of Ndiaye is technically useful and explicitly temporary, but it lists wrong movements and positions without naming an existing quality Ndiaye can rely on. The individual development path is clear; the win and the collective Identity receive little attention.
Matchweek 4
Manchester United 0–1 Manchester City
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City: 11/12
“The main thing today was the effort from the players, outstanding.”
Maresca gives the players credit for their effort and spirit. He explains how City changed their approach after going down to ten men, staying organised and limiting United’s counter-attacks. The red card becomes a challenge the team successfully handled.
That account gives City reasons to trust their ability to adapt and work together. It also shows what made the adjusted plan effective. The next improvement is less clear, so the interview is stronger at explaining the win than at using it to coach a better performance next time.
Breakdown: Towards 2 · SQAs 2 · Adversity 2 · Identity 2 · Path 2 · Good Winner* 1
Source: NBC Sports post-match interview
Matchweek 5
Manchester City 5–3 Sunderland
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City: 10/12
“I feel very happy because we won the game, but also we found a way to win the game. We knew that we didn’t expect an easy game at all.”
“The team, I think, was quite good in terms of duels, in terms of second ball. But again, two of the three goals we concede, they are too easy, so we need to learn.”
“It’s a nice feeling, but also because not only we won the game, also has been a chance for me to learn game by game.”
“The international break is good. We can review what we have done and what we can do better, and at the same time, we can relax a little more.”
Maresca credits Sunderland and praises City’s duels, second balls and ability to find a way through a different kind of match. He also uses the safety of victory to identify three goals, two of them too easy, as lessons.
Learning game by game gives the interview a constructive path, reinforced by his plan to review what can improve during the break. The Identity language is quieter than the tactical review. It remains a good, proportionate response to a dramatic win.
Breakdown: Towards 1 · SQAs 2 · Adversity 2 · Identity 1 · Path 2 · Good Winner* 2
Source: BBC Sport post-match interview.
Matchweek 6
Liverpool 0–3 Manchester City
Sunday 11 October 2026, Anfield, Liverpool.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City: 10/12
Identity level: Belonging and Purpose.
0-3, Anfield it’s a great result for sure. In this moment, all the organisation needs this kind of win so it’s good for us as coaching staff, players, fan, the organisation. This kind of win is good for all the Club.
I said during the week that we need to learn how to deal with the outside noise because of the situation. The noise will always be there. We need to learn how to deal with that but at the same time we want to make our noise. That is to win games like we have done today.
Our noise is a nice bit of Speechcraft. It’s City’s first game since the verdict, the ground is hostile, and Maresca gives the squad one thing to do about all of it, which is win. Anyone in that dressing room can act on that, and it tells them how the group behaves when the outside gets loud, so Identity and Path both score. The noise will always be there is the line that costs him on Adversity, because it makes the problem permanent and the Elevate Formula wants it temporary. He drops SQAs as well, because he says almost nothing about the players themselves.
Breakdown: Towards 2 · SQAs 1 · Adversity 1 · Identity 2 · Path 2 · Good Winner* 2 · 10/12
Source: Manchester City.
Matchweek 7
Manchester City 3 – 2 Ipswich Town
Saturday 17 October 2026, 3pm, Etihad Stadium.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City
10/12. Identity level: Belonging and Esteem.
“First of all, I am very happy because it’s a matter of winning games in this business. We were able to win seven in a row and what made me very happy was day-by-day with the players, the way they are working and how I can see them improving.”
“Today I thought we controlled the game, created chances and were good off the ball. We are doing well and I think that’s the most important thing.”
“Absolutely yes but also I understand we give credit to the players. They need to be worried about people inside the club and about me for the credit I give to them.”
“And they are not worried about people who judge from outside because they know people trying to judge them, it’s people who are working who want to create a problem but inside I promise the players are happy, they’re getting credit and I give credit to them.”
“He’s not just scoring, he’s a leader, a captain. He’s doing very well.”
Seven wins in a row and Maresca spends most of the answer on where credit comes from. He tells the players to care what people inside the club think, and what he thinks, and not what people outside are saying. The criticism is Other and it is Fleeting. Set against it is the way they are working day by day, and that is Self, Broad and Lasting. Both halves of the Elevate Formula. Inside I promise the players are happy is the Identity line, and the way they are working is the SQA. Towards and Path are 1 each. Improving day by day is a direction with no standard attached.
Sources: Manchester City and Sky Sports.
Matchweek 8
Aston Villa 2 – 1 Manchester City
Saturday 24 October 2026, 12.30pm, Villa Park.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City
Score: 6/12. Identity level: Capability.
Yeah, no, even for us, it was, I think, a good game, good performance, but unfortunately, we lost. But overall, I think we did enough, you know, to, you know, we deserve something more. But it’s football, we learn from that, and we move on.
Yeah, we struggled, as you said, the first probably 10, 15 minutes, and the reason why is because we expect them in one way, but they were in a different way. We adjust, and then I think at the end of the start, and send the second half we control the game
yeah but also because they were both in yellow card in this you know with this noise sometimes it’s better to avoid but again I think overall we did enough to take something from this game
Yeah, when we scored. But I had the feeling for the entire game that we were in control. We created many chances, unfortunately, within the score. But again, sometimes also you have to be a little bit more, you know, lucky in terms of we conceded just one transition, second half, and unfortunately they have been very clinical because they scored. Yeah, but we’ll end from that.
Yeah, I just said I was not here, so I don’t know in the past. The only thing I can say is from today’s game that I think we deserve something more.
Maresca is calm and generous and his players leave with almost nothing. Three times he says they deserved more. It is a fair comment on the game, but it tells the players nothing about what he wants from them. He does own the opening fifteen minutes, because they expected Villa one way and got another, so the planning error is his and he says so. Past that there is no quality of this group named, no behaviour to repeat and no next step beyond learning and moving on. He stays composed throughout, and that is worth having, though it leaves the players with nothing to take into Monday.
Source: BBC Sport match report.
Matchweek 9
Manchester City 0 – 1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Saturday 31 October 2026, 3.00pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City
Score: 6/12. Identity level: Safety.
Enzo, is that one of those where you can separate the performance from the result?
Yeah, it’s a bit strange. The feeling is exactly the same feeling than the last game Aston Villa away. I think we did enough to deserve something more, but in this moment it’s like this. We just need to move on and try to win games.
What was missing? Was it just that finishing touch?
I think we create an important volume of offensive action. Sometimes you have to be a little bit more clinical inside the box. But again, we create enough, we didn’t score. It’s important that we create and next time we’re going to be more lucky.
What could you have done to try and find that goal? What did you try to do or could you not do any more?
No, I think we did everything, to be honest. Sometimes it’s a matter that you struggle to score goals. The important thing is that we create, but I don’t have nothing to say about the performance, the attitude from the players, they fought until the end, it was very good. And next time hopefully we are more lucky.
Maresca notices the repetition himself. The feeling is exactly the same as after Aston Villa away, and so is the answer. They did enough, they deserved something more, the attitude was good and he has nothing to say about the performance. All of it is fair and all of it is bland. There is nothing in it to lift a player.
Being more clinical inside the box is the only thing named, and he puts it as something you have to do rather than something they are going to do. No SQA of theirs gets named beyond fighting until the end. Then both answers that mention the future finish on luck, so what decides the next match is the bounce of the ball. City have lost back-to-back league games for the first time under him, and after a seven-win start this was the week to tell them what they are good at.
Source: BBC Sport.
What links this league table to a life-or-death negotiation?
A young mother. Her children asleep in the back of the car. A hosepipe connected to the exhaust. A police negotiator with three seconds to find the words that might save their lives.
That call is where The 7 Skills to impress™ began.
When I listen to a manager after a match, I listen for the message beneath the words. A manager can be talking about a win or a loss, but the way they frame it can lift or chip away at a player’s belief before anyone even realises it.
Read Three Seconds to Save Their Lives: Jacqui’s Story and find out what he said.