In this video
- Incredible, he calls it: the players City brought in were the best at the clubs they left. Too much change too quickly? It is the way it is, he says; the job now is helping them settle and passing on the club's DNA.
- The role stays mainly right back, he expects, but it can change by game: wide, inside as a midfielder on the ball, even part of the back line. It depends on what the manager wants each week, and he is happy anywhere.
- 100% now, he says. The problem was a tackle in training the day before the Arsenal game, and it dragged on for a while through the early fixtures.
- The hardest club tournament there is: in the knockouts one bad night ends the season, with no run of games to put it right. Every team in it wants to win every season, he says, and City's plan is to do everything to be there at the end.
- New energy the squad needed, and someone easy to talk to. The players found out he was signed the way everyone else did, waiting on deadline day, because as Nunes admits, the players never know until it is done.
“I feel like they're very similar.”
- From his Sporting days he remembers a fast transition team. The analysis this week shows a side that now enjoys controlling games and pinning opponents back, while the fight, he says, stays part of the club's and the city's DNA.
- His voice is always heard, everyone loves him, and he has won everything with the club, Nunes says. With so many comings and goings this summer, that leadership has been growing, and he deserves it.
What has changed at Manchester City under Enzo Maresca? In this Matheus Nunes interview, the Man City defender explains the new energy around the squad and gives his early verdict on the similarities between Maresca and Pep Guardiola.
Nunes says the two coaches are “very similar” in terms of tactics, energy and passion, while admitting he still needs more time working with Maresca before identifying major differences. The Pep Guardiola comparison also extends to how Manchester City use their full-backs, with Nunes explaining how he can move inside into midfield, stay wide or even operate as a centre-back depending on the game plan.
The Enzo Maresca Man City era has also brought major squad changes, and Nunes discusses the arrival of new players, the club’s identity, Erling Haaland’s growing leadership role and Manchester City’s Champions League ambitions.
Ahead of the clash with FC Porto, Nunes also analyses how Porto have evolved tactically and explains why City will need to be at their best.
