Maresca agrees with Haaland that players started season jaded
Post-World Cup Fatigue Sets the Tone Ahead of Manchester City's Champions League Clash at Porto
Indiadailyupdate.com – Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged on Monday that his squad entered the new campaign carrying a visible weight of exhaustion, a consequence of the extended international calendar that stretched several of his key players deep into the summer. Speaking at Porto's Dragao Stadium ahead of Tuesday's Champions League group-stage opener, the Italian manager framed the situation not as a complaint but as an unavoidable reality of modern football's compressed schedule.
The remarks came in direct response to a video posted earlier that day by striker Erling Haaland on his personal YouTube channel, in which the Norwegian international laid bare the physical and psychological toll of completing a full World Cup cycle before returning to club duties. Haaland, who has already netted three goals across three Premier League fixtures this term, skipped all of Manchester City's pre-season friendlies after Norway advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals. That absence from preparatory matches left him without the usual weeks of conditioning and tactical rehearsal that precede a competitive season.
Haaland's Candid Assessment
In the YouTube post, the 25-year-old forward described arriving at training with essentially zero preparatory groundwork behind him.
"The new season started and I didn't even have a pre-season. I normally have a bit of pre-season but this time, just nothing," Haaland stated.
He went on to explain that while the physical edge would eventually return — provided no injuries intervened — the mental dimension of sharpness proved far harder to rebuild on short notice. The Norwegian emphasized that the hunger and eagerness players typically carry into a fresh campaign were muted this year, simply because there had been no meaningful break from the sport. The calendar, packed with domestic and continental fixtures stretching across an elongated season, left no window for genuine rest.
"We need to have that eager feeling to go back but we don't because there is no time to properly stay away from football because there are so many games and the season is longer," he continued.
Haaland was careful to frame his observations within gratitude rather than grievance, noting that being able to earn a living from the game year-round remained, ultimately, a privilege worth protecting.
Maresca's Managerial Response
At the pre-match press conference, Maresca validated his player's account without hedging. He characterized the early-season dip in intensity as expected and manageable, stressing that rotation and selective rest would be woven into the squad's weekly planning.
"It's not easy for them it's not easy for Erling, it's not easy for most of the players that they continue to play for their international team," Maresca told reporters at the Dragao.
The coach outlined a flexible approach to recovery: some players might sit out a single match, others could be granted a full week away from first-team duties, depending on where the calendar placed them and how their bodies responded. He cautioned against projecting long-term expectations onto the present moment, arguing that attempting to forecast squad fitness levels for February, March, or April while still navigating the chaotic opening weeks was counterproductive.
"To be focused on the day by day makes it very complicated to think where we can be in February, March, April in terms of expectation," he added.
The Broader Calendar Problem
The exchange between player and manager illuminates a structural tension that has intensified since FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 nations and the tournament's final stages now conclude in late July, leaving clubs roughly three to four weeks before league kick-off. For players who reach the quarterfinals or beyond — as Norway did this summer — the traditional pre-season window effectively vanishes. They arrive at training grounds still carrying match legs from a tournament that ran through the heart of the summer, with no tapering period to shed accumulated load.
Manchester City's situation is emblematic of a wider issue across European football. Clubs that field multiple World Cup participants face the same dilemma: field those players immediately and risk injury or diminished output, or rest them and accept short-term tactical limitations. Maresca's day-by-day framing suggests the latter approach will dominate the early weeks, with full-strength selections deferred until bodies have had time to recalibrate.
For Porto, facing a Manchester City side still finding its collective rhythm, the timing offers a narrow window. A team that has completed its pre-season and entered the competitive calendar with full preparatory work may enjoy a transient physical edge over opponents whose key performers are still re-acclimating. Whether that edge translates into points at the Dragao on Tuesday remains to be seen, but the context Maresca and Haaland have now made public gives opponents a clear read on where City's fitness curve currently sits.
The season ahead will test whether the compressed calendar's demands can be absorbed without catastrophic injury. Maresca's insistence on incremental, match-by-match decision-making signals a manager unwilling to gamble on accelerated timelines. For Haaland and his fellow World Cup veterans, the message is equally clear: patience, incremental load management, and trust in the process will define the next several weeks more than any single result.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maresca agrees with Haaland that players?Maresca agrees with Haaland that players is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does Maresca agrees with Haaland that players matter?Maresca agrees with Haaland that players matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.