City Xtra

·25 July 2026

City Xtra

·25 July 2026

Maresca says Man City are a club that “needs to win titles” but cites focus on the day-by-day

Italian says the club’s structure is different to Man Utd or Arsenal owing to long-serving managers

Ex Chelsea boss says he watched all of last season’s games to understand City’s dip before joining

Enzo Maresca has spoken about his title ambitions, his coaching philosophy and Manchester City’s recent dip in his first press conference as the club’s new head coach.

The 46-year-old spoke openly about the pressure that comes with managing one of Europe’s most successful football clubs, while explaining the approach that drove his success at both Leicester City and Chelsea — an unrelenting concentration on the present rather than the final destination.

Maresca was officially confirmed as City’s new manager after a lengthy compensation dispute with Chelsea, and is now charged with bringing back the title-winning consistency that marked Pep Guardiola‘s decade at the Etihad Stadium, a period in which the club won six Premier League titles and the Champions League.

He comes in with a proven record of delivering results — winning the Championship with Leicester and the Premier League with Chelsea — and used his first major media appearance to make clear that the same standards he carried into those jobs apply just as strongly here.

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Maresca was asked directly what success would mean in his first season, and he gave an answer that reflected both the demands of the role and the philosophy that has shaped his career.

“Listen, I think with these kind of clubs, you need to win titles,” said Maresca. “But if you just focus on the final target, I think you miss all the previous parts. So I’m a manager that loves the day-by-day, I love to do my job, I love to spend and prepare sessions, spend time with the players, and then at the end, for sure the target is to win titles with this club.”

When asked whether City are better placed than Manchester United and Arsenal were after their own managerial changes following long-serving bosses, Maresca gently but firmly rejected the comparison.

“I don’t think so, because probably at that time after – I don’t remember exactly how many years with Sir Alex – I think the club was in place,” said Maresca. “So I don’t think so now that we have a different structure compared to Man United or compared to Arsenal with Arsene.”

Speaking about City’s recent decline in form towards the end of Guardiola’s spell, Maresca was honest about the limits of what he could judge from the outside, while also making it clear that he had done the necessary homework before arriving.

“When you are not inside the changing room or not spending the day-by-day with players, it’s very complicated or very difficult to understand the reason why something is not happening,” said Maresca.

“I don’t know. Since two months ago, when there was a real connection with the club, I started to watch all last season’s games, but again to have a clear idea, you need to spend the day-by-day with the players and to understand why something is not going to happen.”

When pressed on whether failing to win the Premier League in his first season would amount to failure, the Italian did not hesitate — but once again returned instinctively to process rather than outcome.

“Again, at the moment, I’m here knowing that this is a club that needs to win titles,” said Maresca. “Fortunately, at the two previous clubs I was at Leicester and Chelsea, we delivered titles in both clubs.

“And I’m joining this club thinking we need to win titles. But again, I’m not thinking about May and June, I’m thinking now and tomorrow, with 20 young players how we can improve them, and then we’ll see day-by-day.”

How Enzo Maresca will opt to differ from Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager

The most telling part of Maresca’s first press conference was not his comments on targets, but how consistently he came back to daily work as the route through which those targets are achieved.

His mention of watching all of City’s games from last season over the two months before he formally started work highlights a level of preparation that matches the style of the very manager he has been asked to follow, and it suggests the club have not replaced one meticulous perfectionist with anything less.

The admission that 20 young players in the current pre-season group are his immediate concern rather than the Premier League standings in May shows a practical realism about the work that lies between now and then — and confidence that the process, if followed properly, will deliver the results the club expects.

For football director Hugo Viana and the club’s leadership, hearing a manager speak with this blend of clarity on expectations and discipline in method will confirm everything that led them to choose Maresca to guide Manchester City into its next chapter.