LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 30: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea walks on the pitch after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on December 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
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Succeeding Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager might be an impossible job. The Catalan coach has had an unmatched influence on the Etihad Stadium club, and the Premier League as a whole, over the course of the last 10 seasons. Enzo Maresca, however, will attempt to do the impossible.
Reports claim the former Chelsea and Leicester City boss will replace Guardiola who he worked under as an assistant manager at Manchester City. Maresca was fired by Chelsea at the end of 2025 and has been strongly linked with the job at the Etihad Stadium over a number of months.
COLUMBUS, OHIO – AUGUST 03: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea talks to Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City after the Pre-Season Friendly match between Chelsea FC and Manchester City at Ohio Stadium on August 03, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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In many ways, Maresca makes sense as a successor for Guardiola. He is the continuity candidate having worked under the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. Maresca knows how Manchester City works as a club behind the scenes and won’t be shocked by the demands of elite-level soccer.
Maresca’s raw qualifications, however, are somewhat lacking. He led Chelsea to the Club World Cup last summer, but otherwise struggled to point the Stamford Bridge side in the right direction. He won the Championship title at Leicester City, but faced criticism from some of his own supporters.
At both Chelsea and Leicester, Maresca was guilty of prioritising possession for the sake of possession. Guardiola’s approach is focused on use of the ball, but the Catalan coach has evolved his style of play over the course of his career. Over the last two to three seasons, for example, Guardiola has leaned into a more direct approach.
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola reacts during a press conference after the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on May 19, 2026. Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions on May 19, after Manchester City were held 1-1 by Bournemouth. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)
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“10 years is a lot of time and I think the club needs a new manager, new energy, these incredible players we have right now and start to write another chapter,” said Guardiola when asked why he’d made the decision to leave Manchester City at the end of the 2025/26 season.
“I feel I would not have the energy [in the future] required to daily, every three days, to fight for the title, being in front of the players. After 10 years, it is good to shake, to move, different faces – it’s really good for everyone. If I did not believe that, if they don’t sack me, I would stay here. But I think it is the perfect moment, perfect time.”
Guardiola will be free to take on a new challenge after this season. It’s unknown what else the 55-year-old wants to achieve in the sport, but Manchester City must move on without Guardiola as its guiding light. Whether or not Maresca can illuminate the way forward remains to be seen.