Maresca admitted that Manchester City are not ready after their 0-3 defeat to Arsenal.

Manchester City kicked off the new campaign with a crushing 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, exposing concerning problems within Enzo Maresca's team.

The English tactician admitted that his players were not focused enough and stated that Manchester City need to further strengthen their squad before the Premier League kicks off.

Arsenal quickly made the difference as Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz scored in the first half, before Martin Odegaard sealed the 3-0 victory early in the second half. Manchester City were barely able to mount a significant response and struggled particularly in midfield.

"We didn't switch on our focus mode," Maresca admitted after the match. The manager believes that some players only had two or three training sessions before taking the field, which meant the team was not in optimal condition. However, he did not deny that Manchester City still have many issues to address.

The need to reinforce the midfield has become even more urgent as Tijjani Reijnders is set to leave Manchester City for Al Qadsiah for a fee of £52 million after just one season. The club also lost Rodri as Barcelona reached an agreement worth £65.4 million for the Spanish midfielder.

Manchester City are pushing for the transfer of Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old midfielder is seen as a key target to add depth to the midfield. Maresca insists that any new signing needs to arrive early to have time to adapt to the tactical system before the season starts. Manchester City will be away to Brighton in the opening round of the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have reason to be pleased with their convincing performance. Mikel Arteta sees the victory over Manchester City as a statement of their ambition to defend the Premier League title. The Spanish manager especially praised Martin Odegaard, who had just come off a season affected by injuries.

Odegaard missed about five to six months last season and struggled to maintain his playing rhythm. However, Arteta believes that if the Norwegian midfielder can stay fit, Arsenal will witness a completely different Odegaard.

"I feel he has something to prove and to show. The team also needs that," Arteta said.

Notably, Ruben Dias also admitted that Manchester City's performance was "not good enough." The Manchester City captain believes that this defeat should serve as an important lesson before the team embarks on a new season with many big goals.