Enzo Maresca has stressed the importance of Manchester City's eagerly anticipated clash against Arsenal, set for Sunday at the Millennium Stadium in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, as part of the English Community Shield.
The match carries particular significance for the Italian. It will be his first official fixture in charge of Manchester City, marking the start of the new season.
Maresca spoke during the press conference for the match: "Arsenal have proven over the past few years that they are a consistent and strong competitor. They are a wonderful team built by Mikel Arteta. They have delivered stunning performances and shown just how strong they have been recently. But at the same time, we are Manchester City, and we will seek to close the gap and compete strongly."
The Community Shield is not a friendly match
City are approaching the Arsenal clash as a competitive match for a trophy, the Italian insisted, not merely a warm-up before the season begins.
He explained: "For me personally, the Community Shield is a trophy, and when there is a title and a final, you always aim to win. So it is not a friendly match at all, but a competition we will do our utmost to win and secure our first title."
"It is important that we keep growing and improving," he continued. "I think the pre-season period was good, and the team's performance saw continuous improvement from one match to the next. And now, with the pre-season over, we have to compete, secure victories and collect titles."
He added: "What I want to see is having the right spirit to keep developing, and possessing the right mentality to achieve victory in matches and collect titles."
Change is sweeping through the club at the moment, and Maresca touched on it: "We are going through a phase of change at the moment, and once the transfer window closes, we will have to be ready to find solutions for the team as quickly as possible."
He went on: "We are going through a phase that is seeing the departure of players who have spent many years here, or the possibility of their departure, and this means there is change happening, and we will do our utmost to deal with it."
The injury situation ahead of the Arsenal clash
City go into the Arsenal clash with an almost fully complete squad, Maresca explained, pointing out that Rayan Ait-Nouri is the only player who is not fully ready.
He said: "Rayan Ait-Nouri suffered a minor problem during pre-season, but he has already trained with us, so everyone is ready, bearing in mind that some players only joined the team two days ago."
Erling Haaland is fine, the manager confirmed, after the Norwegian striker sat out the final minutes of Thursday's training session.
As for Savinho, he said: "He did not take part in yesterday's training session, as he was suffering from a minor ailment. We will see the situation today, as the training session will be held in the afternoon, and we will assess his condition to decide whether he will be available to feature against Arsenal."
Maresca comments on Rodri's future
On the latest developments regarding Rodri's future, Maresca said: "As I have said before, the transfer window is open. We can buy players or sell them, and all possibilities are on the table. I just saw Rodri inside the building and gave him a warm embrace, and we will see what happens."
Persuading players to stay once they have decided to leave is a tough ask, Maresca admitted: "It is somewhat difficult to convince players to stay when they have already become convinced about leaving. This applies to the situation of Tijjani Reijnders, and perhaps James Trafford and some other players."
He added: "I think when the club, the player and the coach agree that the best decision for some players is to leave, then leaving becomes necessary."
Reijnders close to leaving City
Those remarks point to an agreement within City that the departure of Tijjani Reijnders suits both the player and the club, despite the Dutch midfielder only joining last summer.
Saudi club Al-Qadsiah had agreed to buy Reijnders for 52 million pounds sterling, with the deal expected to be completed in the coming period.
Reijnders was with the team in Manchester on Thursday, but he took no part in the training session held in front of the fans at the Manchester City Football Academy.
Maresca refuses to discuss Enzo Fernandez
On the latest developments regarding Enzo Fernandez, Maresca held to his position of refusing to comment on players linked to other clubs.
He said: "I have to give you the same answer I have given since day one, an answer that will always remain unchanged. He is a player who belongs to another club, and I do not think it is right to talk about other players."
Asked about the deadline for the deal and whether City would make any move today, he replied: "Not today, honestly, I do not think we will make any move today."
Maresca reveals Manchester City's needs
City still need to make some moves in the market, Maresca confirmed.
He said: "Certainly, there are things we have to do. As for the number, I do not know at the moment. It could be one player or two, and it also depends on whether there are players who will leave the team."
He concluded: "At this moment, and 48 hours before playing a final, which is my first with this club, my focus is not on players leaving or arriving, but all my attention is on how to prepare optimally for the match and try to win the title."