Enzo Maresca has long been considered one of the potential candidates to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, not only because he used to work in the youth training system and coaching staff of the Spanish strategist. In fact, Maresca's tactical imprint in the blue half of Manchester also originated before Guardiola's time - from the influence of Manuel Pellegrini, who was once seen as the "keeper" before City entered the era of domination.
Maresca used to play under Pellegrini at Malaga and then collaborated with him at West Ham. Pellegrini may be a forgotten Premier League champion, because his reign at Man City is often seen as a transitional period before Guardiola's appearance. But from another perspective, City may also be willing to accept a similar journey with Maresca. He is a coach capable of maintaining competitiveness and bringing home titles, even if he cannot restore Guardiola's absolute dominance.
The biggest challenge for successors to the monuments is to avoid becoming the "new David Moyes" at Manchester United or the "first version of Unai Emery" at Arsenal. What Man City expects is probably closer to the Arne Slot model - who can take over a great legacy while keeping the team in a winning position.
Maresca used to be a member of Man City's coaching staff before being appointed to lead Leicester City. From many months ago, his position in Man City's long-term plan became clear. The strained relationship with Chelsea also partly stemmed from Maresca's admission that he had exchanges with Man City, despite the fact that Guardiola's future at Etihad at that time was still undecided.
Being willing to prioritize The Citizens may make him popular with fans of his old team, and at the same time cause discomfort for Chelsea. This also helps Maresca emerge as a suitable successor in the context that many of Guardiola's other students seem to have gone too far from the Etihad orbit.
Mikel Arteta has now built his own position at Arsenal, while Vincent Kompany is highly rated at Bayern Munich. If mentioning Xabi Alonso less than a year ago, many people would immediately think of the hot seat at Real Madrid. Now, Alonso is again linked as a candidate to lead Chelsea.
In terms of achievements, Alonso clearly possesses a more impressive profile. That makes Maresca sometimes considered the chosen one because of circumstances. However, it is also necessary to recognize that taking over Man City at a time after Guardiola may be the most difficult challenge in European football, especially in the context that the team still faces 115 financial violations charges from the Premier League.
Maresca's coaching career started quite modestly with a short time at Parma before returning to Man City as an assistant. His biggest mark came with Leicester City, where he helped the team win the Championship and win promotion to the Premier League - a achievement that becomes even more valuable when looking at Leicester's decline in the following seasons.
However, Maresca has never been a coach who is loved by everyone. Many Leicester and Chelsea fans have criticized the overly rigid controlled football style he has built.
Maresca's time leading Chelsea also has many contrasting colors. The team finished their first season in the top 4 and then ranked fifth, and also won the Conference League - positive achievements but not enough to create a sense of explosion, especially with the resources that Chelsea possesses.
The biggest highlight in his reign was probably the FIFA Club World Cup championship, where The Blues defeated Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain in the final. That was a moment that showed that Maresca's team could reach a very high level when operating properly.
That also raises the question, is this the initial image of Man City in the post-Guariola era?
Maresca once played alongside Guardiola in the historic 2022-2023 treble season, a campaign in which Man City surpassed both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on the road to winning the Champions League. But the current context is very different.
After a series of personnel changes in the past 18 months, the number of players Maresca has worked with and is still at Etihad is not many. If Bernardo Silva and John Stones leave, the remaining veteran group will almost only include Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Rodri, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake.
In addition, Man City's operating apparatus has also changed when Hugo Viana replaced Txiki Begiristain in the role of Football Director. This could significantly affect the way the team operates during the transition period.
One of Maresca's biggest plus points is his ability to build relationships with players. At Chelsea, many Spanish-speaking stars such as Enzo Fernandez or Marc Cucurella are said to rate him very highly. Even, the team's performance declined significantly after he left.
Man City's choice of Maresca can be seen as evidence of the effectiveness of the City Football Group model, but at the same time it is also an admission that anyone who succeeds Guardiola will hardly avoid the feeling of a "lower version".
