New Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is stepping into a significant role, tasked with succeeding Pep Guardiola, who led the club to 17 major trophies over his tenure. Maresca, who previously served as Guardiola's assistant during the 2022-23 Treble-winning season, is entering his first pre-season as the club's head coach.
Maresca acknowledged the immense pressure of following Guardiola, stating that comparisons after 10 games would be inevitable regardless of the team's points total. He described Guardiola as the best manager of the past 15 to 20 years, whose influence has shaped playing styles across Europe, including Manchester City's. "When he started in Spain, everyone wanted to play like Barcelona, he moved to Germany everyone wanted to play like Bayern [Munich], he comes to England and everyone wants to play like City," Maresca said. He also referred to the job as potentially "impossible" but simultaneously a "privilege."
He met with Guardiola in Barcelona before officially signing, a meeting he found "useful" for gaining insights from his predecessor's decade at the club. Maresca mentioned spending several hours with Guardiola, discussing aspects of the team and the club.
To signal a shift for the players, Maresca has taken over Pep Lijnders' former office, situated next to Guardiola's old office, which has now been converted into a meeting room. Following his appointment at the end of June, Maresca offered an apology to his former club, Chelsea, for any disruption caused by his mid-season departure.
During the six months between leaving Chelsea and starting at Manchester City, Maresca focused on family time and exploring artificial intelligence. He noted that "everyone is talking about AI," prompting him to undertake two masterclasses to deepen his understanding of the technology and its potential applications. This exploration into AI reflects its growing impact across various fields, including professional sports, as managers seek marginal gains. Maresca is also facing a captaincy dilemma, a topic he discussed during his media engagement in Seoul as the team's pre-season neared its end.