Maresca's return to Manchester City

By Rohan Gupta — 29 June 2026 — 3 min read

Maresca’s return to Manchester City

Enzo Maresca has been appointed as the new head coach of Manchester City, succeeding Pep Guardiola. This marks Maresca’s return to the club after three years, having previously served as Guardiola’s assistant during the Treble-winning 2022-23 season. His appointment comes after a mid-season departure from Chelsea, with reports indicating a compensation package of about £17 million was agreed upon between the clubs.

Maresca has signed a three-year contract with Manchester City. He expressed that the opportunity to manage the team is a “brilliant opportunity” and highlighted his familiarity with the club’s setup, having also coached their youth team. Maresca stated his intention for the team to win, play good football, and embrace the pressure of representing the club.

The Italian manager’s journey includes a previous role as head coach of City’s Elite Development Squad in the 2020-21 season. His managerial career also saw him lead Leicester City back to the Premier League.

Managerial philosophy and challenges ahead

Maresca’s coaching approach is influenced by both Italian and Spanish football philosophies. His exposure to Guardiola’s Barcelona during his playing career, particularly while at Sevilla and Malaga, shaped his views on technical, possession-based football. He also credits former Manchester City and West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini as a “football father” who recognized his coaching potential.

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak noted Maresca’s inspiration from Guardiola’s philosophy while also evolving his own. Khaldoon believes Maresca brings a lot to the club and that fans will appreciate his football philosophy and how the team performs under his leadership. Maresca himself described the job as a “huge challenge” but stated he embraces such challenges.

During his time as Guardiola’s assistant, Maresca was an influential figure, contributing to tactical innovations such as the rebranding of John Stones as a central midfielder. This move was instrumental in the Champions League final victory against Inter Milan.

Maresca’s tactical preferences typically involve a 4-2-3-1 formation, emphasizing possession, preventing counter-attacks, and maintaining dominance. This style bears similarities to Guardiola’s teams, requiring physical intensity from attackers to press high up the pitch. He aims to avoid stagnated attacks through fluid positional rotations, as demonstrated by Marc Cucurella’s advanced midfield role and an asymmetric overlapping full-back tactic with Malo Gusto in the Club World Cup final, which contributed to a 3-0 win against Paris St-Germain.

His academic background includes a 7,000-word thesis on the similarities between football and chess, written at Italy’s Coverciano institute. Maresca also seeks ideas outside of football, engaging with volleyball coach Julio Velasco and basketball coach Ettore Messina.

Immediate priorities and squad considerations

Maresca now faces the task of continuing the winning culture established by Guardiola, who secured 20 trophies during his 10-year tenure at the club. Guardiola’s final season saw him win the League Cup and FA Cup.

As players are scheduled to report for pre-season on 20 July, Maresca’s immediate agenda includes addressing key squad matters. The arrival of England midfielder Elliot Anderson is expected to be confirmed soon, and City will also focus on signing a new right-back.

There has been speculation about Chelsea’s Malo Gusto potentially reuniting with Maresca, and City has also been linked with Lille’s midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. Another priority for Maresca will be to secure a new deal for midfielder Rodri, whose contract at Etihad Stadium is entering its final 12 months.

Maresca has preferences for goalkeepers who are proficient with their feet.