Erling Haaland (foto: Getty Images)
Enzo Maresca has revealed his unusual captaincy rule at Manchester City, joking that Erling Haaland's incredible goalscoring record works against him.
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Erling Haaland has scored so many goals for Manchester City that his incredible record could now work against him in the race to become the club's new captain.
New City coach Enzo Maresca has revealed an unusual rule that he previously used at Leicester City and Chelsea and intends to introduce at the Etihad.
Whenever his team scores, Maresca wants the captain to immediately approach the bench and receive tactical instructions while the other players celebrate.
There is one exception: if the captain scores himself, he is allowed to celebrate.
That creates an obvious problem with Haaland.
"At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench not to celebrate for instructions," Maresca explained.
"But if he scores, then he can celebrate."
Then came the punchline.
"So if Erling is the captain, we have a problem, f**king hell, can you imagine?"
162 goals make Haaland a complicated captain
The Norwegian striker has scored an astonishing 162 goals during his first four years at Manchester City.
Haaland remains part of City's leadership group, but Maresca's comments suggest he is unlikely to replace Bernardo Silva as the main captain.
Ruben Dias is currently considered the leading candidate to receive the armband.
Maresca has already demonstrated how his unusual system works.
"If you saw the game on Wednesday, when we scored the first goal, Ruben came over to the bench," the Italian explained.
"I think even if it is two or three minutes, there is always something to adjust."
For Maresca, goal celebrations therefore provide a brief opportunity to communicate tactical changes without interrupting the flow of the match.
Dias favourite for the armband
Dias, Haaland and Rodri currently form part of City's leadership group, although the Spanish midfielder's future remains uncertain amid strong interest from Barcelona.
Maresca intends to select his leadership group himself and also wants at least one English player represented.
Phil Foden is among the candidates.
"At the moment, we have three or four captains and we are missing one. In the case of Rodri, see what happens," Maresca said.
The situation surrounding Rodri could therefore have a direct impact on the final hierarchy inside the City dressing room.
Haaland was one of the first to welcome Maresca back
Maresca already knows several members of the squad from his previous spell at Manchester City.
The Italian worked as one of Pep Guardiola's assistants during City's historic treble-winning 2022/23 campaign before leaving to pursue his own managerial career.
Haaland was among the first players to contact Maresca when his return to Manchester as Guardiola's successor was confirmed.
"Erling was one of the first to send a message when I joined the club," Maresca revealed.
Much has changed since they last worked together.
"Now there is Phil, Ruben, Erling, Rodri and Rico Lewis from the Treble. Jack Grealish too. And I was still in contact with them."
"The squad has completely changed. It's been very quick."
Haaland returns for pre-season training tomorrow and will remain one of the most influential figures in City's dressing room.
He might simply score too often for Maresca's unusual captaincy system.
With 162 goals in four years, Haaland has rarely been punished for finding the net. Under Maresca, his scoring obsession might finally cost him something: the Manchester City captain's armband.