Manchester City did not take long to announce Pep Guardiola’s replacement. And as expected, it is a homecoming. Enzo Maresca (Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy, 1980) will be the first coach to occupy the “sky blue” dugout who is not Guardiola in a decade. The Italian, who signs until 2029, returns to Manchester three years after being part of Pep’s staff in the season that crowned City as Champions League winners for the first time in their history.
“Manchester City is a club I know very well and having the chance to manage this team is a magnificent opportunity for me,” said Maresca, who is very eager to take charge of the team: “I can’t wait to start coaching the players. I want us to win, to play good football, and to enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City,” he continued.
Pep Guardiola bids emotional farewell after 10 years at Manchester City
I want us to win, to play good football
Maresca returns to the Etihad as World Champion. His Chelsea, in fact, was the first team capable of being crowned winner of the first 32-team Club World Cup in history. Months later, however, also crowned Conference champion in 2024-25, he left London through the back door after a poor run and clashes with the “blue” club’s board.
The former Málaga or Sevilla footballer, who as a coach had spells at Parma (a brief one) and Leicester City (promotion to the Premier League), as well as Chelsea, will take on one of the biggest challenges of his career: making sure City do not miss Guardiola. Something Arne Slot already managed successfully at Liverpool in relation to Klopp… in his first season. However, maintaining consistency and being a winning team season after season, something Guardiola achieved, is the difficult part.
The ideal candidate
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Manchester City’s chairman, believes Maresca is the perfect fit for the team and says that the style of football the Italian likes is a reflection of the club’s values. “Enzo is someone who has always looked for opportunities to improve himself and succeed in his career. He brings a personality, passion and intelligence that fit perfectly with what we need,” he said.
“Enzo is a person who has always sought opportunities to improve himself and succeed in his career
“He returns to an organization that fully shares his ambition and his desire to succeed, so his return to Manchester City is therefore a natural and welcome step both for him and for the club,” he concluded.
