By Enzo Maresca's own admission, Manchester City "complicated" their 2-0 win over Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday. The patchiness of their performance led Alan Shearer to call Maresca's side "weak" on Prime Video's co-commentary. City did fail to consolidate their advantage until late on, but never really looked in danger of squandering it.
Statistically, Porto were restricted to scraps. For a team who had not been beaten at the Estadio do Dragao throughout the whole of 2026, there were few clear-cut chances to speak of. Not a single shot on target.
Man City's superbly balanced midfield made sure of that. The danger here is of course to compare what City are serving up under Maresca with performances of the past, where everything flowed simultaneously around Rodri in the style of Pep Guardiola. The football so neat and tidy, with every pass in its precise place, it's difficult to pick fault.
But that reality has passed. There remains no rush about Maresca or the implementation of his philosophy. "Slowly, slowly," he urged on Tuesday, keenly aware that most expected Guardiola's departure to shift the balance of power in Manchester.
They might well be disappointed. Beyond surface level, the Porto win offered plenty of reason to believe Man City are building. Away victories in the Champions League should not be sniffed at, much less with a clean sheet attached.
But the individual display of Ayyoub Bouaddi should perhaps be highlighted as the biggest win. Erling Haaland might argue his match-winning double deserved some column inches, but such is the frequency, certain instances can afford to be glossed over in favour of someone else. Haaland's most perceptive take actually happened post-match.
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