Enzo Maresca: A New Era for Manchester City
Enzo Maresca did not try to shrink the job. He walked into his first day as Manchester City manager and called following Pep Guardiola a “privilege” – then immediately acknowledged the ghosts of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger.
Living in Guardiola’s shadow
Maresca, appointed last month, inherits a dynasty. Guardiola’s decade in charge yielded 17 major trophies and elevated City to a level the club had never previously touched. Any successor would be judged against that. Maresca isn’t pretending otherwise.
“First of all, I have to say that it’s a privilege because the club decided to go for me,” the Italian said. “I said many times that I consider Pep probably the best coach in the world in the last 20, 25 years.”
That is the scale of the act he must follow. And he has studied what happens when such eras end.
He referenced Manchester United’s slide after Ferguson’s departure in 2013, when David Moyes lasted less than a season trying to replace a man who had ruled Old Trafford for 26 and a half years. He pointed to Arsenal’s turbulence after Wenger left in 2018, with Unai Emery unable to steady a club still clinging to the past.
“It’s a challenge. It’s nice,” Maresca said. “Also, the history of the manager with many years in the same club always struggled a little bit. After Sir Alex, after Arsène. But also, it’s a challenge to try to do the right things immediately for this organisation, for the fans, for everyone.”
He is not blind to the pitfalls. He is choosing to lean into them.
Betting on City’s structure
Where others stumbled, Maresca believes City’s structure gives him a fighting chance. He sees stability where other giants had drift.
“The organisation is the main thing,” he said. “This club, this organisation, they had three managers in 17 years.”
Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini, Pep Guardiola. That is the line he is stepping into. No revolving door. No panic.
“This is not normal. It doesn’t happen often,” he added. “I’m confident that we can do a great job. We can continue to do the job that has been done since Roberto was here, then after Manuel and for 10 years Pep.”
The message was clear: this is evolution, not revolution. Maresca wants to attach himself to the existing City blueprint rather than rip it up.
Early blow: Rodri to undergo surgery
His first significant decision, though, is enforced. Rodri, the heartbeat of Guardiola’s side and one of the most influential midfielders in world football, will undergo back surgery on Monday and is set to miss the start of the season.
That alone would jolt any new manager. It also arrives with Real Madrid circling, weighing up a move for the 30-year-old.
Maresca, asked directly about Rodri’s future, refused to sound alarmed.
“First of all, around big players there is always speculation,” he said. “I’m not worried about that. Also because they [Spain] won the World Cup and he was the best player or one of the best players, I think every manager wants to have Rodri because he’s a top player.
“But now he has surgery on, I think, Monday. He needs holiday, rest. Then he will be back here with us.”
No drama. No public bargaining. Just a calm insistence that Rodri remains central to his plans once the operation and recovery are done.
Decisions to make: Grealish and Trafford
Maresca’s first summer also brings hard choices on the fringes of the squad. James Trafford, currently second-choice goalkeeper and a player Leeds are tracking, is one of them. Jack Grealish is another, back at City after last season’s loan at Everton and facing an uncertain future.
“Jack, at the moment, he’s a Man City player,” Maresca said. “I always said the same – in any club I join, I like to know if there are players that belong to the club, it’s my duty to try to coach them. Then we see what happens.”
He knows Trafford well from his time in charge of City’s Under-23s in 2020-21. That history might matter. The market might matter more.
“I know James because he was my keeper when I was with the City Under-23s,” he said. “But again, when the transfer window is open now, January, anything can happen. So we see. But at the moment, he’s one of our keepers.”
For now, both stay in his orbit. For how long, the window will decide.
Maresca has stepped into one of the most daunting jobs in modern football with his eyes open, his respect for Guardiola obvious, his belief in City’s machinery unshaken. The trophies on the wall are not going anywhere. The question is simple, and brutal: can he add to them quickly enough to escape the fate of those who followed Ferguson and Wenger?
