Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca admits fatigue among players

The collision between a year-round football calendar and elite athletic performance has reached a breaking point for Manchester City. As the club arrives at the Dragao Stadium for their Champions League opener against FC Porto on Tuesday, a stark contrast has emerged between their flawless domestic form and the physical toll on their roster.

Despite winning their first three league matches of the 2026-27 season, Manchester City leadership admits that players returning from international duty are battling exhaustion. Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Monday that it is correct to observe players starting to feel tired, signaling a precarious start to the European campaign.

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This admission follows a candid account from star striker Erling Haaland, who revealed the psychological strain of a schedule that denied him a proper offseason break.

The Cost of No Break

Erling Haaland has already scored three goals in three league matches, but he disclosed via his YouTube channel that he entered the new season without any pre-season preparation. This gap was the direct result of Norway's deep run to the World Cup quarterfinals, which effectively erased his summer break.

Haaland noted that while physical fitness can be recovered if a player stays injury-free, the psychological component is more difficult to manage.

"The physical side will come, if you manage to stay injury free, but you need to be sharp mentally as well, and that's not easy,"

Erling Haaland, Manchester City Striker, via YouTube

He explained that the current density of matches and the extending length of the season mean there is no time to properly stay away from football. According to Haaland, this robs players of the eager feeling typically associated with the return of a new season. However, the striker clarified he was not making a formal complaint, characterizing the ability to play football throughout the entire year as a positive aspect of the profession.

Tactical Survival and the 'Day-by-Day' Approach

Enzo Maresca has shifted his management style to accommodate this burnout, moving away from long-term forecasting in favor of immediate preservation. Speaking at the Dragao Stadium, Maresca defended the necessity of rotating his squad aggressively.

"It's correct to give them some rest that can be one game out or can be one week away depends a little bit in which moment we are."

Enzo Maresca, Manchester City Coach, via The Express Tribune

This survival-based strategy has created a disconnect between current performance and future planning. Maresca admitted that the relentless schedule forces the coaching staff to focus so heavily on daily management that projecting the team's state for the critical spring months of February, March, and April has become nearly impossible. The manager stressed that the priority has shifted from hitting specific milestones to ensuring the team improves on a game-by-game basis.

The pressure is compounded by the club's internal transition. According to Yahoo Sports, City enters the European stage with a roster experiencing significant squad turnover.

The Porto Challenge and Squad Status

The timing of this fatigue crisis coincides with a clash against FC Porto, the current best squad in Liga Portugal, which has maintained a perfect start to its own season. While City remains the favorite, the physical deficit is a variable that could neutralize their tactical advantage.

The mismatch in preparation is stark: Porto arrives with momentum and a stable defensive core, while City is managing the mental fog of its international stars. Furthermore, RotoWire notes that City has recently struggled against closed-knit defensive units, having scored once against Coventry and relying on late goals to beat Bournemouth.

As the team prepares for the match at the Dragao, the objective has been stripped of long-term ambition. Maresca insisted that the primary goal against Porto is not a specific result, but rather a diagnostic exercise to evaluate whether the squad is improving game after game.