Succeeding Pep Guardiola as Manchester Metropolis supervisor is perhaps an unattainable job. The Catalan coach has had an unmatched affect on the Etihad Stadium membership, and the Premier League as a complete, over the course of the final 10 seasons. Enzo Maresca, nevertheless, will try to do the unattainable.
Studies declare the previous Chelsea and Leicester Metropolis boss will change Guardiola who he labored beneath as an assistant supervisor at Manchester Metropolis. Maresca was fired by Chelsea on the finish of 2025 and has been strongly linked with the job on the Etihad Stadium over a lot of months.
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – AUGUST 03: Enzo Maresca, Supervisor of Chelsea talks to Pep Guardiola, Supervisor of Manchester Metropolis after the Pre-Season Pleasant match between Chelsea FC and Manchester Metropolis at Ohio Stadium on August 03, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Picture by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC through Getty Photos)
Chelsea FC through Getty Photos
In some ways, Maresca is smart as a successor for Guardiola. He’s the continuity candidate having labored beneath the previous Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. Maresca is aware of how Manchester Metropolis works as a membership behind the scenes and received’t be shocked by the calls for of elite-level soccer.
Maresca’s uncooked {qualifications}, nevertheless, are considerably missing. He led Chelsea to the Membership World Cup final summer season, however in any other case struggled to level the Stamford Bridge facet in the correct course. He received the Championship title at Leicester Metropolis, however confronted criticism from a few of his personal supporters.
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At each Chelsea and Leicester, Maresca was responsible of prioritising possession for the sake of possession. Guardiola’s method is concentrated on use of the ball, however the Catalan coach has developed his type of play over the course of his profession. Over the past two to a few seasons, for instance, Guardiola has leaned right into a extra direct method.
Manchester Metropolis’s Spanish supervisor Pep Guardiola reacts throughout a press convention after the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Manchester Metropolis on the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on Might 19, 2026. Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to be topped Premier League champions on Might 19, after Manchester Metropolis have been held 1-1 by Bournemouth. (Picture by Glyn KIRK / AFP through Getty Photos)
AFP through Getty Photos
“10 years is lots of time and I feel the membership wants a brand new supervisor, new vitality, these unbelievable gamers we now have proper now and begin to write one other chapter,” stated Guardiola when requested why he’d made the choice to depart Manchester Metropolis on the finish of the 2025/26 season.
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“I really feel I might not have the vitality [in the future] required to every day, each three days, to battle for the title, being in entrance of the gamers. After 10 years, it’s good to shake, to maneuver, totally different faces – it’s actually good for everybody. If I didn’t imagine that, if they do not sack me, I might keep right here. However I feel it’s the good second, good time.”
Guardiola shall be free to tackle a brand new problem after this season. It’s unknown what else the 55-year-old needs to attain within the sport, however Manchester Metropolis should transfer on with out Guardiola as its guiding gentle. Whether or not or not Maresca can illuminate the way in which ahead stays to be seen.
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