'This will always be his house!' - Enzo Maresca reveals Guardiola's reaction to Man City's PSG defeat as he admits City lost their balance after conceding twice

The sight of Guardiola back in the stands at the Etihad Stadium provided a nostalgic boost for Manchester City supporters, even if the result on the pitch failed to match the occasion. Following the 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Maresca confirmed he spent time with his predecessor to digest the performance.

"I saw him after, we were talking about the game, about the first-half, second-half," Maresca explained. "He was, first of all, very happy to be at the stadium, and then also very positive about things that he has seen during the game. It was great also for the fans to see him at the stadium and this will be always his house!"

Despite his presence in the building, Guardiola maintained a professional distance from the current squad to ensure Maresca’s authority remained absolute during the matchday proceedings. The Italian tactician confirmed that the multi-time Premier League winner did not enter the inner sanctum of the dressing room to address the players directly. Guardiola did not speak with Manchester City's players during his visit to the Etihad Stadium this week, says Enzo Maresca.

Reflecting on the tactical collapse that saw City ship two goals in quick succession, Maresca admitted that the psychological weight of facing elite opposition took its toll on his players' positioning. "I reviewed the PSG game yesterday in the morning very early, I have the same feeling: I think before we conceded the first goal, we had the penalty shout from Rayan Cherki, the free-kick from Enzo, the corner that finished on the crossbar - before their goal," the manager noted.

"Then we conceded the first one, and after one minute we conceded the second one. I think that moment we lost distance between players, we lost the balance. That can happen, thinking the other team is the best team in Europe, and in two minutes you go down 0-2."

With a congested fixture list looming, Maresca is weighing up how to reintegrate Phil Foden into the starting eleven following the playmaker's recent absence. The England international is back in contention, but the manager is wary of rushing him back too quickly given the volume of games on the horizon. "Just try to work with him day-by-day," Maresca said regarding the midfielder.

"During the international break and since the red card against Manchester United has been quite long, but he's training well, doing well since we started, very positive, very good. And we'll see for tomorrow, he's available but we have so many games that we'll decide if he's doing to start or not. But no doubt he's going to give us something!"

Finally, the manager embraced the lighter side of Manchester City culture by discussing the fans' famous tradition of bringing inflatable bananas to matches. After hearing about the history of the quirky accessory, Maresca admitted his own family has been swept up in the craze.

"Very nice! I didn't know the history behind the banana, I hope tomorrow I can see many bananas in the stadium! I think it's created a nice environment for the fans and for everyone in the stadium! I have four kids, they already asked me for one! Tomorrow they're going to be at the stadium, and we'll see!"