Numbers Game at the Etihad

Enzo Maresca has a number in his head, and it isn't 21 or 22. It's 60, maybe 65 — the potential game count for a Manchester City side competing on every front. And that, he hinted this week, is why the club's summer dealings might not be done just yet.

The manager's arithmetic is straightforward. "The right idea is to have two players in each position," he said in Thursday's press conference, ahead of the 4-1 win at Crystal Palace on Friday night. "They need to compete between them."

At the moment, he has 21 or 22 players. That, he conceded, "can be the right number." The catch? Three or four of those are Academy prospects.

"In this moment we have three or four in this number who are Academy players, so thinking we are playing 60, maybe 65 games this season, we probably need more numbers."

The squad has already been reshaped once this window. Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Nico González have all departed, while Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi have arrived to freshen things up. Ryan McAidoo and Kaden Braithwaite are among the young faces filling out the current group.

Pressing Matters

Maresca's preference for a leaner, more competitive group doesn't mean he's ignoring what the numbers tell him on the pitch. Against Bournemouth, City recovered 76% of the ball in pressing situations — a figure he clearly rates. "That is a fantastic result," he said, before adding the obvious caveat: "It's much better if you can recover 76 per cent of the ball rather than 50 per cent. It means you give less chances to the opposition."

That comeback win over Bournemouth — late goals from Marc Guéhi and Joško Gvardiol after Marcus Tavernier's opener — was followed by Friday's 4-1 at Selhurst Park. Two wins, two different challenges, and a manager still tinkering.

"It has been a little bit complicated because some players arrive late and now with transfers," Maresca admitted. "That's why Marc Guéhi in midfield was a solution and tomorrow there might be another solution."

Next up is Coventry City at the Etihad Stadium. Beyond that, all eyes will be on Tuesday's transfer deadline and whether Maresca gets the extra bodies he feels his squad requires. The window slams shut soon — and the manager's maths suggests there's still room for a few more.