Enzo Maresca has finally faced the music. Not that he seemed particularly bothered by the tune.
City's new manager held his first press conference since the international break, and for the first time since taking the job, the media got a proper crack at asking him about the more than 100 charges hanging over the club. His answer was short, and it was exactly what anyone who has watched this club operate would have predicted.
"There is a process ongoing, and at this moment I completely trust the club."
That was the line. No theatrics. No carefully worded statement drafted by three layers of lawyers. Just a man stating his position and moving on.
He went further, explaining the logic behind his calm.
"I trust the club because I trust the people; this is why I joined the club."
And if that wasn't clear enough:
"There is not another club in the world that I would like to be."
Maresca agreed to become City's manager after Pep Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season. He did so knowing the club was facing charges. This wasn't a case of a manager walking into a mess he didn't see coming. He walked in with his eyes open, and he has now said publicly that he would make the same choice again.
The verdict, and the question nobody can avoid
The recent guilty verdict for allegedly breaking financial fair play rules has dominated the conversation around City for months. More than 100 charges, a process still ongoing, and no clear end point in sight. The press conference was the first real opportunity for journalists to press Maresca on what it all means, and his answer was less a deflection than a declaration.
He also addressed the inevitable question about the club's previous titles — the ones won during the period when the rule-breaking was said to have occurred. Maresca said he didn't feel those titles would be tainted. Whether that satisfies anyone outside the Etihad is another matter. It almost certainly doesn't. But he wasn't hired to satisfy anyone outside the Etihad.
What stood out was the absence of any hedging. No "we'll see what happens." No "I can't comment on ongoing proceedings." Just trust, plain and simple. Whether that trust is rewarded is out of his hands, and he seems at peace with that.
City fans have spent years listening to managers and executives dance around this topic. Maresca has chosen a different approach. He's not dancing. He's standing still, saying he trusts the people who hired him, and getting on with the job. For a supporter base that has grown tired of the noise, it might be the most reassuring thing they've heard in a while.