Plenty of the Premier League’s top clubs have rolled the managerial dice ahead of next season. Manchester City are one of those starting a new era, turning to Enzo Maresca in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s decision to depart.
Maresca is returning for his third stint at the club, having been an academy coach in 2020-21 and then Guardiola’s assistant in 2022-23 – the famous Premier League-Champions League-FA Cup treble-winning campaign.
He is familiar with the pursuit of silverware, but is yet to be the one to deliver it at such scale. So, how well positioned is he to lead Man City to glory in 2026-27?
Sky Sports’ Ben Ransom and Laura Hunter explore Maresca’s chances of success in year one – and whether trophies are the only barometer by which he will be judged in the wake of Guardiola’s seismic exit.
Sympathetic start gives Maresca breathing room
Maresca has been given a kind start to his term, meeting Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry City in his first three outings – a generous run to be able to establish some early rhythm. It also gives Man City’s World Cup warriors, those in battle until the very last, a chance to ease back in.
Rodri played nearly every minute of Spain’s World Cup campaign
Rodri played nearly every minute of Spain’s triumphant campaign and is the most susceptible to breaking down with fatigue. Given those first three fixtures will still heavily favour Man City without him, he should benefit from a phased return.
Maresca will, however, be under pressure to deliver given how winnable those fixtures are on paper. He cannot afford to cede ground early, especially as City face Man Utd and Liverpool in two of the next three in September. Clearly both of those rival bouts hold significance beyond the result.
As the Italian acknowledged when joining, he is in a “dream situation”, inheriting a well-balanced squad with incredible talent and depth, built by Guardiola. “It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively,” he said.
The demands will therefore be the same as what were placed on Guardiola, without necessarily having the unique job security the Spaniard was afforded. Guardiola always managed on his own terms. Maresca has a strong bond with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, but won’t necessarily get the same privilege.
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Sky Sports football journalist Laura Hunter says Enzo Maresca won’t be afforded time to excel as Manchester City boss
How much time will players need to adapt?
In terms of style, it’s not quite rinse and repeat but there are plenty of similarities between Maresca and Guardiola’s preferred way of playing.
Both are rooted in possessing the ball, favouring control, and pressing aggressively. Maresca is arguably more expansive, though, wanting to stretch the pitch with wingers that play high and wide.
Chelsea’s stats in their only full season under Enzo Maresca
City’s wingers have been coached more recently to play a style where they tuck inside and rotate to create central overloads. Most of the play revolves around Rodri, but it’s fluid.
Watching City under Guardiola often meant seeing defenders step into midfield, midfielders become forwards, or even drop into full-back. Maresca’s more rigid 4-2-3-1 structure will likely make for more traditional roles.
It also requires a high-functioning No 10 to link play. At Chelsea, that was Cole Palmer. Maresca has got Phil Foden or Rayan Cherki to choose between, should he wish to adopt the same setup here.
How is the squad shaping up?
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Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom explains why Manchester City decided to sign Elliot Anderson for £116m, making him the most expensive British player in history
There has been a concerted effort over the past two or three transfer windows under Hugo Viana to lower the average age of the squad. It’s dropped from 29 to just over 25, albeit a leadership void has appeared following the departures of Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer – and Kevin de Bruyne before them.
Rodri and Ruben Dias are important, while last season saw City lean further into a leadership role for Erling Haaland. Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol are also experienced, stable figures, plus Mateo Kovacic. The spine of the team remains incredibly strong.
Business to date has been costly but smart. Elliot Anderson, signed for mega money from Nottingham Forest, has been bought to add robustness and future-proof midfield and young Jeremy Monga has been poached from Leicester.
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With Rodri linked with a move away from Manchester City, Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom discusses whether Ayyoub Bouaddi could be brought in to replace the midfielder
The wish list also includes a right-back and a winger, while keeping tabs on Lille teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, who excelled at the World Cup for Morocco. Arsenal are also admirers of him.
Depending on potential suitors meeting the club’s valuation, outgoings might comprise a selection of: Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Jack Grealish, Tijjani Reijnders and Rico Lewis. Transfer activity is expected to accelerate now the World Cup has concluded.
What are Maresca’s main challenges?
This is the first time since the Abu Dhabi takeover that the plan is uncertain. 10 years ago, all preparation went into building a club to lure Guardiola to the Premier League. That vision has been and gone, so where now?
City have forged a culture geared towards winning silverware, anything less is unlikely to be tolerated for a sustained period. Fans arrive at the Etihad expecting to be entertained, but above all, demanding to win. Balancing both is where Maresca’s Chelsea failed.
The 46-year-old does have the benefit of not being the only managerial newbie at one of the top clubs, though, making for a changeable Premier League landscape as the natural order figures itself out. At City, that is being viewed as an opportunity to take advantage of.
Andoni Iraola at Liverpool, Xabi Alonso at Chelsea and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Michael Carrick at Man Utd, all hold question marks. This era of unknowns is fertile ground for anyone with ambition to make a mark. Very much sink or swim.
What about the 115 charges?
115 Premier League charges still cloud the club. Maresca will have to field difficult questions from the media over it.
Guardiola was the master of public-facing confrontation, having had to handle media glare at some of Europe’s biggest clubs all his career. He knew the City press pack well and how to shut down any exchanges he wished not to speak on.
Maresca came under fire at Chelsea at times but mainly over football matters. How he handles this situation will likely impact his first 12 months – assuming a verdict is reached within that timeframe.
Maresca is due to give his first Man City press conference on Friday, July 24. You can follow everything that is said in our dedicated live blog here.
