The post-Pep Guardiola phase has begun at Manchester City after the Spaniard brought his trophy-filled 10-year stay at the Etihad to an end this summer.

With Enzo Maresca now starting work on leading the club into its next chapter, former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart feels one of the immediate tasks will be to bring back the fear factor around the side — something he believes had already begun to fade even during Guardiola’s final two seasons.

For Hart, that issue goes beyond systems and squad selection, with City once carrying an aura that instantly pushed opponents onto the back foot. Rebuilding that, though, will be far from straightforward.

“They lost that one-goal lead they had when they lined up at the start of games,” Hart said, explaining that opponents used to feel as if they were already a goal behind even before kick-off.

“There was a point in Pep’s reign that they got 100 points, when they were absolutely phenomenal.”

That feeling of inevitability had long been one of the standout hallmarks of Guardiola’s time in charge, but with the club’s most recent title arriving in 2024, Hart believes that psychological advantage has now ebbed away.

“People aren’t as afraid of them any more, but you earn that over time,” Hart continued. “Hard work, grinding it out, being willing to go through tough moments. You’ve got to earn the right.”

Looking back on last season, Hart still sees grounds for optimism ahead of the coming campaign, especially as the club prepare for another major departure in Rodri.

“They didn’t struggle as much when Rodri couldn’t play,” Hart continued.

“And I liked the signings – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi, and Rayan Cherki was a breath of fresh air.”

The former City No. 1 was also full of praise for the club’s present first-choice goalkeeper.

“Ederson was an incredible keeper for Manchester City, but the biggest compliment I can pay to Donnarumma was that he very much made the shirt his own.

“Defenders trusted his angles – they didn’t let players inside, but the full-backs were quite comfortable letting people have shots from an angle.”