Maresca closes in on Guardiola record as Manchester City face Anfield test

Enzo Maresca needs one more victory to match Pep Guardiola’s best start as Manchester City manager, with the meeting against Liverpool at Anfield set to provide a decisive early test of his reign.

Manchester City lead the Premier League by three points from Arsenal after Maresca guided them to victory in each of his first five league matches. He is the sixth manager to achieve that feat, following Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who each began with six successive wins, and Craig Shakespeare and Mauricio Sarri, who also recorded five.

A sixth consecutive victory would equal Guardiola’s best opening run at City, achieved at the start of the 2016-17 and 2023-24 seasons.

Guardiola has previously praised his former coach, saying: “I feel about Enzo the same way I felt when I saw Mikel Arteta; he will be an exceptional manager.”

Maresca knows City well. He worked with the club’s reserve team in 2020-21 and became one of Guardiola’s assistants in 2022-23, before managing Leicester City and Chelsea.

Maresca determined to develop his own identity

Although the two coaches share clear tactical principles, former Guardiola assistant Carles Planchart believes Maresca has combined the best of what he learned from several managers rather than simply copying one model.

Brian Barry-Murphy, the former Manchester City manager who now coaches Cardiff, also sees similarities in their commitment to player development. Both coaches give players confidence and help them understand their responsibilities on the pitch.

Maresca, however, rejects the idea that his project is merely a version of Guardiola’s.

“I am not here to copy anyone, but to do my job and impose my own vision of football,” he said. “It is an interesting challenge because I consider Guardiola the best manager of the past 20 years.”

The Italian believes football demands constant adaptation, particularly as set pieces and man-marking become increasingly important. Coaches, he says, must continue to find new solutions as the game changes.

Matheus Nunes agrees there are tactical similarities, especially in their desire to control matches and limit goals conceded, but says Maresca’s individuality is becoming clearer. Sporting director Hugo Viana said the manager’s previous knowledge of the club had helped him settle quickly while introducing his own methods.

Ruben Dias said some familiar principles remained, but that training, pressing and defensive details had changed. Those differences were evident in the 5-3 win over Sunderland, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The match showed City’s attacking strength but also raised questions about their defensive balance.

Paul Merson criticised the defending, saying City looked disorganised at times. Maresca, by contrast, said he would prefer a 1-0 win to a 5-3 victory, reflecting his preference for control and reduced risk.

While retaining possession-based positional play, Maresca uses more direct full-backs and more aggressive man-oriented pressing. Chelsea required 10.72 passes from opponents per defensive tackle under him, compared with 11.55 for City under Guardiola.

“I think we are very close now,” Maresca said. “The players understand how we want to defend and press.” He added that 76% of Chelsea’s pressing attempts against Bournemouth ended with the ball being recovered.

Following a 20-trophy legacy

Maresca knows succeeding Guardiola is a major challenge after the Spaniard led Manchester City to 20 trophies. The Italian says he is avoiding comparisons and concentrating instead on improving his team.

“Being at this club after a legend like Pep is a great honour,” he said. “I know that not winning would be a disaster, and that is normal, but it is part of my job. I do not spend my time thinking about who came before me or about his achievements. I focus on what we can improve, developing the team and trying to win matches.”

A win at Anfield would allow Maresca to match Guardiola’s record start while strengthening the belief that Manchester City can retain their strength under a manager influenced by his former mentor but determined to establish an identity of his own.