Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that several of his summer signings will be handed their first Champions League appearances for the club when City open their European campaign away at Porto on Tuesday.
The City boss begins to grapple with a rotation dilemma brought on by a hectic early-season fixture list.
New faces set for European bow
City head to Portugal on the back of a perfect start to the Premier League season and will be looking to begin life in this term’s revamped Champions League with three points.
But with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United — Maresca’s first Manchester derby in charge — following just five days later, the Italian is already thinking about squad management.
Asked about his plans for the Porto trip, Maresca made clear that Tuesday’s game, rather than the derby to come, is where his attention lies for now.
“The first game is on Tuesday,” Maresca said according to Hayters. “So the focus has to be on the Tuesday game, then after that we focus on the next one.
“I think with Ayoubb (Bouaddi), with Ryan McAidoo, as you said, Iliman Ndiaye they probably haven’t played in the Champions League yet. But they need to start.
“So on Tuesday they’re going to start getting minutes in the Champions League.”
Ayyoub Bouaddi, the Morocco international who arrived from Lille for a fee in the region of €100m, is yet to feature in Europe’s top club competition since his big-money move to the Etihad Stadium. The same applies to youngster McAidoo and Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye, City’s deadline-day recruit from Everton.
All three have been eased into Maresca’s plans domestically and now look set to be trusted with minutes on the continental stage as the head coach begins to manage a squad he is still shaping in his own image following Pep Guardiola’s departure in the summer.
Haaland’s workload also under scrutiny
Rotation at Manchester City this season will not be confined to the newcomers, however. Erling Haaland has played every available Premier League minute so far this campaign, and his statement afternoon strike proved the difference as City ground out a 1-0 win over Coventry City at the weekend to maintain their unbeaten start.
Maresca acknowledged that the Norwegian’s ever-present role cannot continue indefinitely across a long season, even if changing plans around City’s most potent goal threat remains a delicate balancing act.
“At the moment he plays every minute, probably other than the Community Shield final where we changed him,” Maresca said.
“But for sure we need to protect Erling because, again, the season is very long and he’s going to have games where he needs to recover.”
Pressed on whether he has adequate cover in the event Haaland does need a rest, Maresca pointed to options elsewhere in his attacking ranks rather than naming a like-for-like replacement.
“Yeah, it depends a little bit on the game plan,” he said. “It depends a little bit on the game. Antoine (Semenyo) has played nine in the past, I know that Phil (Foden) sometimes played false nine. It depends a little bit on the game.”
City’s Champions League opener against Porto marks the beginning of a demanding run of fixtures that will test the depth Maresca has assembled since taking charge, with more than £400m committed to new arrivals over the summer.
How quickly Bouaddi and Ndiaye can adapt to the rigours of European football may go some way to determining how successfully City juggle their commitments on multiple fronts this season.
