City’s maiden PL2 title was secured earlier this evening in the wake of Blackburn’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Appointed to the role last summer, former Juventus, Sevilla and Malaga striker Maresca has overseen a superb campaign with City’s vibrant, attacking brand of football proving a joy to watch.
And in the wake of tonight’s title triumph, the Italian was at pains to pay tribute to each and every member of his squad, stressing how our title success has been very much a collective effort.
Marseca spoke of his sense of pride and also hailed the way every single member of his squad had combined to make their own important personal contribution to our title success.
“It’s a fantastic achievement especially in the way we achieved it and I am very proud of the players and the staff and I want to thank them all,” said Maresca.
“It’s the first time that the Club has won it. I think we deserve it and it has shown how all the lads have given everything this season.
“Absolutely, if you see each player, he has been very important during the season, all of them from the goalkeepers, Cieran (Slicker), James Trafford, even Louie (Moulden) he played and helped us a lot in three games.
“All the defenders, Finley Burns now Luke Mbete’s injured but when he was fit he helped us a lot. All the lads that drop down from the first team, our lads like Sam Edozie, Ben Knight… all of them have been fantastic.
“I always say the same, probably they can’t be happy always because sometimes they are out of the squad or on the bench, that’s normal.
“But I always say the same to them: ‘To win something important, the title, anything, you need all the squad you can’t win something only with 12 players’.
“To win the title you need 20/25 players that every time they play they give 100% and all of them have done that.
“For me it’s been a lovely season, a beautiful season - especially because I saw the players making an effort to understand the game, to try to play in a different way not always with the same shape,” Maresca added.
“At the end it was the same idea, the same principle to control the game and try to win, it’s always like that. But the effort they have done to try to win the game in the way we want has been great.
“So, for us as the staff, that’s the best thing you can see when your team is trying to make an effort to understand the game, to control the game, to win the game always with the same idea.
“I think that’s something that is very important for us.”
Our PL2 title success has been achieved against the wider backdrop of a superb season for our men’s first team, women’s side and Under-18s with all three squads in strong contentions to win their respective titles.
And Maresca admitted that the positive mood around the CFA has proved infectious.
“It (the great atmosphere) helps a lot!,” the EDS head coach added.
“Starting from the first team that we are all very happy about. But also the way they are in the Premier League, winning games, top of the league.
“Then the Under-18s, the Women’s team, us, it’s always good to work in an environment where almost all the people are happy!”
