Enzo Maresca has spoken publicly for the first time as Manchester City manager, saying the job of following Pep Guardiola is a challenge but one he must approach by doing the right things immediately for the club.
Maresca, who previously worked at City before taking the Chelsea job, was introduced as Guardiola’s successor after the Spaniard’s 10-year spell that brought 20 trophies. The new manager said the history of long-serving coaches at one club can be difficult, pointing to the examples of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, but stressed that his focus is on helping the organisation and its supporters right away.
“Before we start, I would like to send a message and a big hug to Kevin Keegan’s family for this moment,” Maresca said, making a tribute on Monday after Keegan died.
A new chapter after Guardiola’s long run
The scale of the task is obvious. Guardiola turned Manchester City into one of the defining teams of the modern Premier League era, and Maresca now steps into that environment after only three managers in 17 years at the club. He said that continuity has been a major part of City’s identity, naming Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Guardiola as the only men to lead the team during that stretch.
“The history of the manager with many years in the same club always struggled a little bit. After Sir Alex, after Arsène,” Maresca said. “But also, it’s a challenge to try to do the right things immediately for this organisation, for the fans, for everyone.”
That challenge is not just about following a successful predecessor. It is also about keeping City at the same level while making the role his own. Maresca helped guide the club’s elite development squad in 2020-21, then returned as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 treble season, so he already knows the expectations inside the building.
His recent work outside City gives him fresh reference points too. Last summer, Maresca won the Fifa Club World Cup with Chelsea after a 3-0 final win over Paris Saint-Germain, before leaving Chelsea on New Year’s Day. Chelsea paid £17m in compensation for him, a reminder of how highly he was rated after leading Leicester to the Championship title and then taking on the west London job.
For City, the next phase is about smooth transition, not reinvention for its own sake. That matters even more with Manchester City Financial Charges hanging over the wider backdrop, because the club’s future will be judged not only by who manages it, but by how it handles every part of the moment. Maresca’s first message made clear that he understands the scale of the pressure and the importance of getting the basics right from day one.
