Nobody inside the Etihad wants to talk about Paris. Still, that 4-2 defeat to PSG hangs around the training ground like a bad smell, and Enzo Maresca knows Saturday’s visit of Ipswich Town needs a proper response.
City’s league form tells a different story, mind you. They beat Manchester United 1-0, thrashed Norwich 5-0, edged a wild 5-3 game against Sunderland and then went to Anfield and won 3-0. That’s a side that scores for fun.
One big hole, though. Phil Foden is suspended for this one, so Maresca can’t lean on him, and that changes the whole shape of the midfield.
Manchester City predicted XI vs Ipswich Town
I expect a 4-1-4-1. Gianluigi Donnarumma starts in goal, with Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly on the flanks of a back four. Rúben Dias partners Marc Guéhi in the middle, which gives City real steel against a side who’ll sit deep and hit on the break.
Elliot Anderson sits in front of them, doing the dirty work. He’s quick, he’s tidy, and he wins the ball back high up the pitch.
Ahead of him, it gets spicy. Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernández take the central slots, with Iliman Ndiaye and Antoine Semenyo hugging the touchlines. Erling Haaland leads the line, and you can guess how Ipswich’s centre-backs feel about that.
Why this mix works
Cherki is the wildcard. He drifts, he dribbles, he sometimes tries the ridiculous. Against a packed defence, that’s exactly what City need, because someone has to pull a defender out of position before Haaland can feast.
Fernández brings the other half of the deal: tempo, sharp passing and a bit of bite. Semenyo and Ndiaye offer pace and directness, which stretches a low block until it snaps.
Can Maresca’s City cope without Foden?
Yes, and fairly comfortably. Foden is brilliant in tight spaces, but Cherki does a similar job with more chaos, and chaos is hard for a promoted-style defence to prepare for. Anderson’s presence also means City don’t leave themselves open when Ipswich try to counter, which is where most teams get hurt against them.
The PSG night showed City can be stretched, no question. Ipswich don’t have that kind of quality, though. If Haaland gets service, the scoreline could get ugly, and Maresca’s front five look built for precisely that.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly – Elliot Anderson – Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernández, Antoine Semenyo – Erling Haaland.
