The City boss took charge of his first game as first team manager on Saturday as we were defeated on penalties by Inter in Hong Kong after the game ended 1-1.
There were many positives for City, with a raft of second-half substitutions meaning plenty of players left the field with valuable minutes under their belt.
Maresca, who has been working with the players for almost two weeks, believes he is seeing gradual improvements.
And the Italian also spoke of his delight at the reception City have received during our time in Hong Kong on the Club’s pre-season Asia Tour.
“We are going to try our best to win titles this season - the Premier League is one of the titles we need to try until the end.
“In terms of our chances [of winning the league], it is too early to say. What I like is day by day helping players improve. Because if you improve players the team is better.
“I am very happy, yeah. Very happy with the performance and very happy to be in Hong Kong on this trip with lots of fans - yesterday in the training session and today for the game.
“I am very happy with that.”
Watch our 2026 tour games on CITY+!
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After Saturday’s meeting with Inter, we’ll now head to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars side on Wednesday 5 August and then Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August. Both games begin at 12:00 (UK).
Each game will be available to watch on mancity.com and our official app for current CITY+ subscribers globally*.
Available for £34.99 annually or £9.99 per month, or unlock CITY+ as part of Premium Membership (£65/year), which brings together the best of City, in one membership.
*K-League All Stars v City: Globally available except South Korea
City v Atletico Madrid: Globally available except South Korea, Spain
