Manchester City manager, Enzo Maresca, believes his side are approaching the level of Paris Saint-Germain despite suffering a 4-2 defeat to the reigning UEFA Champions League winners at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
PSG produced a dominant first-half display to establish a commanding 3-0 advantage, leaving City with a difficult task against the back-to-back European champions.
However, City responded strongly after the break, with Erling Haaland scoring twice as the hosts attempted to overturn the deficit.
Despite falling short, City finished the encounter with 27 shots on goal, prompting Maresca to maintain that his team are not far behind Luis Enrique’s men in terms of quality.
“I think we are there, my feeling is we are close,” Maresca said.
“It has been a bit of a strange game especially because we conceded two goals in two minutes [in the first half] and that created some problems for us.
“Before the first goal we didn’t concede anything, then we conceded the second one. In the second half we did enough to deserve something more.”
City’s improved performance after the interval gave them hope of completing a remarkable comeback, although PSG ultimately held on to secure the victory.
Maresca also revealed that PSG manager Luis Enrique admitted his side had been fortunate to withstand City’s second-half pressure.
“Luis told me at the end they have been quite lucky,” Maresca said.
The City boss acknowledged PSG’s recent dominance in European football, praising the French club for their achievements in the Champions League over the past two seasons.
“I think in the last two years they have been the best team in Europe, they won almost all the games in this competition in the last two years.”
Despite the defeat, Maresca’s comments suggest he remains confident that City can bridge the gap to Europe’s leading side as they continue their Champions League campaign.
