Enzo Maresca as Man City manager: Can the Italian succeed in returning to a club so entrenched in Pep Guardiola’s ways? | football news

Many of the Premier League’s top clubs have turned the managerial dice ahead of next season. In the wake of Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave, Manchester City are one of those who have ushered in a new era, turning to Enzo Maresca.

Maresca is returning for his third spell at the club – academy coach in 2020-21 and then Guardiola’s assistant in 2022-23 – on the back of a famous Premier League-Champions League-FA Cup treble-winning campaign.

He is familiar with the pursuit of silverware, but has yet to deliver it to such a degree. 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 his first year – and whether trophies are the only barometer by which he will be judged in the wake of Guardiola’s seismic departure.

Sympathetic opening gives Maresca breathing room

Maresca has been given a good start to his tenure, meeting Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry City in his first three outings – a generous run to be able to establish some early rhythm. It gives Man City’s World Cup warriors, who are fighting to the end, a chance to make a comeback.

Rodri played almost every minute of Spain’s victorious campaign and was the most susceptible to collapsing with fatigue. These first three fixtures will still heavily favor Man City without him, who should benefit from his gradual return.

But Maresca will be under pressure to deliver how winnable these fixtures are on paper. He won’t start early, especially with City facing Man Utd and Liverpool in two of the next three in September. Obviously these two rival bouts have significance beyond the outcome.

As the Italian admitted upon joining, he is in a “dream situation”, inheriting a well-balanced squad with incredible talent and depth built by Guardiola. “It gives me the consistency I need to do my job effectively,” he said.

The demands will therefore be similar to those placed on Guardiola, without necessarily the unique job security afforded the Spaniard. Guardiola always managed on his own terms. Maresca has a strong bond with Chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, but does not necessarily enjoy the same privileges.

How long will it take the players to adapt?

In terms of style, it’s not quite a wash and repeat but there are plenty of similarities between the likes of Maresca and Guardiola.

Both lie in possession of the ball, favoring control and pressing aggressively. Maresca is arguably more wide, though, looking to stretch the pitch with wingers playing high and wide.

City’s wingers have recently been trained to play a style where they tuck inside and rotate to create a central overload. Most of the drama revolves around Rodri, but it’s fluid.

Watching City under Guardiola often means defenders stepping into midfield, midfielders moving forward or even dropping to full-back. Maresca’s more rigid 4-2-3-1 structure would probably make for a more traditional role.

It requires a high-performance No. 10 to link the game. At Chelsea, that was Cole Palmer. Maresca has the choice of Phil Foden or Ryan Cherky, if he wants to adopt the same setup here.

How is the squad formed?

A concerted effort has been made over the last two or three transfer windows under Hugo Viana to lower the average age of the squad. That’s down from 29 to 25, despite a leadership void this summer following the departures of Bernardo Silva and John Stones – and Kevin De Bruyne before them.

Rodri and Ruben Dias are key, while last season saw City lean more towards Erling Haaland’s leadership role. Mark Guehi and Josko Guardiol are also experienced, stable figures and Mateo Kovacic. The backbone of the team remains incredibly strong.

Business to date has been expensive but smart. Elliott Anderson, Signed for mega money from Nottingham ForestBought to add solidity and future-proof midfield and youngster Jeremy Monga was poached from Leicester.

A right-back and a winger are also on the wish-list, while tabs are on Lily Kishore Ayub BouddiWho played great for Morocco in the World Cup. Arsenal are also his fans.

Depending on the potential suitors who meet the club’s assessment, the outgoing could be a selection between: Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Jack Grealish, Tijani Reijnders and Rico Luiz. The transfer process is expected to speed up now that the World Cup is over.

What are Maresca’s main challenges?

This is the first plan since the occupation of Abu Dhabi is uncertain. 10 years ago, all preparations went into creating a club to lure Guardiola to the Premier League. That vision was and gone, so where is it now?

City have built a culture ready to win silverware, anything less is unlikely to endure for any length of time. Fans arrive at the Etihad hoping for entertainment, but above all for a win. Both balance where Maresca Chelsea failed.

The 46-year-old has the advantage of not being the only managerial newcomer at a top club, though, creating a changeable Premier League landscape as a natural law statistic. In the City, this is seen as an opportunity to take advantage.

Liverpool’s Andoni Iraola, Xabi Alonso at Chelsea and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Michael Carrick at Man Utd, all remain question marks. This era of the unknown is fertile ground for anyone who has the ambition to make a mark. Too much sinks or swims.

What about the 115 charge?

115 Premier League complaints still cloud the club. Maresca will have to ask tough questions from the media about it.

Guardiola was a master of public confrontation, having to deal with the media glare at some of Europe’s biggest clubs throughout his career. He knew the City press pack well and he wanted to shut down any exchange he didn’t want to talk about.

Maresca has occasionally come under attack at Chelsea but mainly for football reasons. How he handles the situation will likely affect his first 12 months – assuming a verdict is reached within that timeframe.

Maresca will give his first Man City press conference on Friday 24 July. Dedicated live blog here.