Esteemed Kompany

·25 July 2026

Esteemed Kompany

·25 July 2026

Enzo Maresca finally spoke to the media for the first time yesterday as Manchester City manager. Since Maresca had served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during City’s famous treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, there are obvious similarities in the way Guardiola and Maresca prefer their teams to play. That was always to be expected, and it was one of the reasons City chose Maresca as Guardiola’s replacement. Manchester City want to keep playing the possession-based football that Guardiola used. Even so, Maresca made it clear yesterday that he is his own manager and has no intention of simply copying and pasting Pep Guardiola’s methods.

Speaking yesterday in his first press conference as Manchester City manager, Enzo Maresca was quick to stress that he is not trying to imitate Pep Guardiola’s footballing ideas. The new Manchester City manager told the media that he will lead the FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders in his own way. Maresca said yesterday: “For me, it’s important to make it clear that I’m here to do my job the way I want. I’m not here to copy someone, I’m here to do my job, to install my football, the way I see football.”

Enzo Maresca also underlined that change will come at Manchester City. He said that although managers like him and Pep Guardiola share philosophies and ideas, there will still be differences in Maresca’s City side compared with Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team. The Italian manager explained: “Every manager is different. There can be similar concepts, but every manager is different. The way we approach day-by-day and the approach to games will be different.”

“We’ll see what we need to tweak concepts, but I don’t think any manager can copy and paste another manager. I can copy and paste but I don’t see the football the same way as other managers. That’s why I don’t believe in copy and paste.“

Manchester City knew exactly what they were getting when they appointed Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor. They were bringing in a manager who shares a similar philosophy to Guardiola, and someone who already knows several City players as well as the club itself. However, the Manchester City hierarchy will not expect Maresca to be Pep Guardiola. As Maresca pointed out, he will handle his new role in his own way, and while there will be similarities in how Guardiola’s side and Maresca’s side play, there will also be differences, though those may take some time to become clear.

It is almost certain that Maresca’s team will play a possession-based style. That is to be expected. Enzo Maresca introduced this style at Leicester City and Chelsea. The way City build up play and press will be different under Maresca. There will also be other tactical details that City will show under Maresca. They are unlikely to be obvious straight away when the 2026-27 season starts. But given time, they will emerge, and as next season develops, so will Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City side.

Enzo Maresca made it clear that he is his own manager and not a Pep Guardiola clone. The new Manchester City manager has his own approach, which was visible during his spells as manager of Leicester City and Chelsea. It may take time to fully take shape, but eventually this City side will form under Maresca, and it will be fascinating to see how that unfolds.