Maresca faces Guardiola legacy as Manchester City’s new era begins

Enzo Maresca has begun the task of succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, describing the challenge as potentially “impossible” but also a major privilege.

Maresca returned to the club this summer after previously working as one of Guardiola’s assistants during the historic 2022-23 campaign, when City won the treble. Guardiola left at the end of last season after delivering 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first Champions League triumph.

As his first pre-season in charge neared its conclusion, Maresca spoke to five British journalists travelling with Manchester City in Seoul, South Korea, about the demands of replacing one of football’s most successful managers.

“After 10 matches, whether we have 10 points, 20 points or 30 points, people will compare our results with what Pep achieved after 10 matches,” Maresca said. “But this does not put any pressure on me.”

The former Leicester City and Chelsea manager added: “I have said it many times, whether during my time at Leicester City or Chelsea, Pep has been the best manager in the world over the last 15 or 20 years.”

“When he started his career in Spain, everyone wanted to play like Barcelona. When he moved to Germany, everyone wanted to play like Bayern Munich. Now he has come to England and everyone wants to play like Manchester City.”

Asked whether replacing Guardiola was an impossible job, Maresca replied: “Maybe it is, but at the same time it is a huge privilege.”

Maresca met Guardiola in Barcelona only a day before formally signing to become his successor. The pair had already intended to spend time together during the summer, allowing Maresca to draw on Guardiola’s long experience at the club.

“We spent a few hours together,” Maresca said. “Before the end of the season here, we had planned to spend some time together during the summer break.”

He also explained why he wanted to assess the club independently rather than rely entirely on Guardiola’s perspective.

“I sometimes like to start with a clear mind, without any previous ideas, so I can see things for myself,” he said. “It is true that Pep spent a long time here and has his own opinions, but you have to come and see things yourself, then build a complete picture of the situation.”

In another symbolic change, Maresca has moved into the office previously used by Guardiola’s former assistant, Pep Lijnders. The office is next to Guardiola’s former workspace, which has now been converted into a meeting room.

Maresca apologised to Chelsea shortly after taking the Manchester City job in late June for the “confusion” caused by his departure during the middle of the season. He had spent the six months before joining City trying to make the most of his time away from football.

“Because of my wife and my four children, I tried to enjoy spending a little more time with the family,” he said.

The manager also used the break to study artificial intelligence.

“Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, so I wanted to understand how it works,” he said. “I attended two specialised masterclasses to understand it better and gain more knowledge about it.”

Premier League managers are increasingly examining the possible uses of artificial intelligence in the search for marginal gains. However, Maresca knows that succeeding at Manchester City will demand far more than new technology, particularly after inheriting the team from one of the defining coaches of his generation.

He believes the Premier League has changed significantly since his previous spell as Guardiola’s assistant three years ago. The most notable developments, in his view, have been the increased importance of set-pieces and the spread of man-to-man defensive systems.

Arsenal won the Premier League last season for the first time in more than two decades after scoring 25 goals from set-pieces, including 19 from corners. Maresca said Manchester City were seeking to “try to improve” in that area.

New rules will also be introduced next season to increase the pace of matches. Players will have only five seconds to take goal-kicks and throw-ins, with possession awarded to the opposition if they exceed the limit.

Despite the physical battles and crowded penalty areas often seen at corners, Maresca remains convinced that the Premier League is the “best league” in the world and contains the “best players”.

“It is because of the quality of the players, the ability of the managers and the excellent organisation of the Premier League,” he said. “Everything is completely different compared with leagues in other countries.”

“Which league can compete with the Premier League? Spain? Yes, there are Barcelona and Real Madrid, but the other teams are not at this level. Here, we have six teams that are all almost competing at the highest level.”

Maresca said he had not been required to perform a song as part of his introduction to the squad.

“The manager does not sing,” he said.

Goalkeeping coach Michel De Bernardin was judged by Maresca to have performed “very well”, while analyst Xavi Molina received the dubious honour of being named the worst performer after singing Frank Sinatra’s My Way.

“Actually, it was disastrous,” Maresca said with a laugh.

His coaching staff includes Argentine former goalkeeper Willy Caballero, two Italians and three Spaniards. Maresca also speaks French, giving the group considerable linguistic variety.

Danny Walker, the first-team coach, is described by Maresca as “English”. Walker previously worked under him with Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad before joining him at Leicester City and Chelsea.

Maresca smiled when discussing their long relationship.

“When we go for breakfast, we order beans with toast, and when we go for dinner, we have beer,” he said.

“When I joined the Elite Development Squad, Danny was already there. He had previously worked with the under-16s before moving to become my assistant. Since then, we have always been together.”

Walker also has a long-standing knowledge of City’s young players Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis.

“He knows Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis very well because he looked after them from under-six level through to under-12 level,” Maresca said. “He knows all of them.”

“He is very good and excels when overseeing the extra work at the end of training, when we ask the players to do additional exercises.”

“It is a job that requires a lot of hard work. If we do not win matches, we will all go back home,” Maresca added.

One of the next major decisions facing him is the appointment of Manchester City’s new captain following Bernardo Silva’s departure. Maresca also wants a player who came through the club’s system to be part of the leadership group.

The current senior group includes Ruben Dias, the leading candidate to wear the armband, as well as Erling Haaland and Rodri, who is seeking a move to Barcelona.

Haaland was among the first players to welcome Maresca to the club, but the manager joked that appointing the Norwegian as captain could create one particular problem.

“In Leicester City and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench, not to celebrate but to receive instructions,” Maresca said. “If he was the player who scored, he could celebrate.”

“If Erling becomes captain, we will have a problem. Can you imagine that? If you watch the match against the K League All-Stars on Wednesday, you will notice that Ruben went to the bench after the first goal.”

Maresca said that even a short conversation could be valuable.

“Even if it is only for two or three minutes, there is always something that needs to be adjusted,” he said. “At the moment, we have three or four players in the leadership group and we are missing one. As for Rodri’s situation, we will see what happens.”

Choosing the new captain, resolving Rodri’s future and selecting the starting line-up for Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Arsenal are among the major decisions awaiting Maresca.

With Guardiola’s legacy providing an immediate backdrop, Maresca must reshape the team’s approach while managing a squad packed with high-profile players. His first months in charge have already underlined the scale of one of football’s biggest and most demanding jobs.