What does it take to succeed Pep Guardiola?
Enzo Maresca is beginning to discover the answer this summer after being selected as the Spaniard’s replacement at Manchester City. He returns to the club after serving as Guardiola’s assistant during the historic Treble-winning 2022-23 season.
Widely regarded as one of the finest coaches of his era, Guardiola left at the end of last season after guiding City to 17 major honours, including six Premier League championships and a Champions League triumph.
With his first pre-season as the club’s manager almost complete, Maresca met with five travelling members of the UK media in Seoul to speak about the task awaiting him.
Maresca said he expects people to compare his results with those of his predecessor after the opening 10 matches, whether City collect 10, 20 or 30 points, but insisted that such comparisons do not increase the pressure on him.
He added that, as he had often said during his time at Leicester and Chelsea, Guardiola has been the world’s leading manager over the past 15 to 20 years.
According to Maresca, Guardiola’s influence was clear wherever he worked: teams sought to imitate Barcelona in Spain, Bayern Munich in Germany and Manchester City in England.
Although following such a successful figure may appear to be an impossible assignment, Maresca said he also considers it a privilege.
The former Chelsea manager revealed that he met Guardiola in Barcelona one day before formally agreeing to replace him. He believed it would be valuable to learn from someone who had spent a decade at the club.
Maresca said they talked for several hours, having already arranged before the end of the season to meet during the summer break.
While he sometimes prefers to approach a new role without preconceptions and form his own conclusions, Maresca valued Guardiola’s perspective. He stressed, however, that he must assess the club personally before developing a complete understanding of the situation.
To give the squad a visible sense of transition, Maresca has taken over former assistant Pep Lijnders’ office at City’s training base. It is beside Guardiola’s previous office, which has since been transformed into a meeting room.
Soon after becoming City’s manager in late June, Maresca apologised to Chelsea for the upheaval created by his departure midway through the season.
During the following six months, he spent more time with his wife and four children while also exploring artificial intelligence.
With the technology attracting widespread attention, Maresca completed two masterclasses to improve his understanding of how it operates and expand his knowledge.
The growing role of artificial intelligence in daily life has encouraged even top-flight football managers to investigate whether it can provide small competitive advantages.
Nevertheless, technology alone will not determine whether Maresca succeeds at City as he takes charge following one of the most accomplished managers of the modern era.
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