One of Pep Guardiola’s more memorable quotes from his time as Manchester City boss is “we cannot replace him.” It was 2021 and a tearful Guardiola was talking about Sergio Aguero – but now it is himself who is being replaced as head coach.
And how do you replace the irreplaceable? Enzo Maresca is set to be the man tasked with taking that specific objective on, with the club closing in on signing the Italian as their new boss.
It’s been the worst-kept secret in football, with rumours linking Maresca to the Etihad Stadium dating back to Christmas time, when he was still in charge at Chelsea. But the fallout from his time at Stamford Bridge – which saw him step down after one win in seven games amid boardroom issues – still makes it a little peculiar.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jamie O’Hara reflected on Man City’s pursuit of Enzo Maresca, tipping Luis Enrique as a better successor
But cue another Guardiola quote from 2025. “One of the best managers in the world,” he said. That time, he was describing Maresca.
The former Chelsea boss has been picked by City because of his history with the club. Many at the club were impressed with how he handled the role of Elite Development Squad (EDS) head coach – effectively the club’s U21s squad – in the 2020/21 season.
Maresca gained plaudits for taking a youth team and bringing the standards and the technical level much closer to the first team. The players he developed include Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer – who have since thrived on a global level.
But the Italian also had an impact with the first team. After a 2021 spell as Parma head coach, which did not go well, Maresca returned to City as one of Guardiola’s assistants for just one season. But it was an emphatic one – as City picked up the treble that term.
Maresca (left) spent a season working under Guardiola (right) in the first-team
That season helped create a narrative that Maresca was another Guardiola in the making. Leicester saw it during that treble-winning season, so immediately hired him to win the Championship. Then Chelsea came calling – as his stock rose massively within two years.
The reason why? “Enzo is very similar to Pep,” Brian Barry-Murphy told Sky Sports in 2024. Barry-Murphy replaced Maresca as City’s EDS head coach and is now in charge of Cardiff City in the Championship.
Because he succeeded Maresca in City’s academy structure, the pair worked closely together. He also had the opportunity to observe the Italian’s methods first-hand during his time with the City first team.
“When he came back to work as Pep’s joint-assistant, he was so active and so involved in the coaching,” Barry-Murphy added about Maresca.
Maresca (right) was in Man City’s backroom team when Erling Haaland joined the club
“When you work with someone like Pep, he’s such a dominant figure. He’s so good and commands the respect of everybody, it can be easy to stay in the background and not be super-active.
“But Enzo was coaching from day one and you could see the respect players had for him was instant. That’s why he was so important.”
Like Mikel Arteta before him, Maresca was right by Guardiola’s side, another tactical voice within his inner circle. During the Champions League final, club footage showed Guardiola and Maresca plotting together at half-time on the tactics board, discussing how to break down Inter Milan.
It requires a precise and intense tactical mind to work alongside such a legendary figure – and Maresca was involved in the minute details of City’s structure that season.
“They see the game in similar ways,” added Barry-Murphy about Maresca’s comparisons with Guardiola. “The way they coach is a total dedication to improving the players, so they feel comfortable at what they’re asking them to do. That core way of playing and coaching is similar.
“Enzo would be involved in everything. He would be coaching all the players at different times.
Maresca was said to be very involved in Man City training when working under Pep Guardiola
“When you see Pep work so closely like I have, the amount of technical work that goes on daily is the most important thing.
“We all see the tactical outcomes on a Saturday – the innovation that is so acclaimed for Pep. But what we don’t see is the amount of work that goes into the technical actions to give the team the confidence to know that no matter what happens on a Saturday, they’ve worked on those technical concepts every single day of every single week while the season is taking place.
“That’s why the level is so high. Enzo was in line with that and was very helpful to the players to improve those technical actions and concepts.”
However, while Maresca managed to earn the respect of Man City’s playing squad four years ago, there has been a huge overhaul of the City squad since then.
Only Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Rodri, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland remain from City’s treble-winning squad that Maresca worked with. And even then, the futures of Rodri and Ake remain uncertain at the club.
Maresca is taking on a huge City rebuild that not only includes Guardiola’s exits – but that of Bernardo Silva and John Stones too. To do that, he will have to channel his inner Guardiola, who has reinvented this City first-team squad a number of times.
But Maresca was not only well-regarded at City, but outside the Premier League too during his time at Chelsea. And not just from his former mentor Guardiola.
Arsenal manager Arteta surprised many in the press room in March of last year, when he made a stunning remark about Maresca’s Chelsea after beating them 1-0 at the Emirates.
“In my opinion, they are the best attacking team in the league,” Arteta said. “In open play? By a mile.”
Arteta and Maresca could be title rivals next season
And Arteta’s explanation for it? “Because of the manager they have.”
“The stats say it and everything that I’ve seen say it,” the Arsenal manager continued.
“They can open you up, they can run in transition, they have individual quality, any player in the defensive line can throw you in behind, they can combine on both sides, on weak sides.”
The numbers provided some more clarity on what Arteta was getting at. While Chelsea were struggling to see out qualification for the Champions League at the time, they ended that campaign as one of the most exciting teams in the league.
Chelsea’s stats in their only full season under Enzo Maresca
In the 2024/25 season, Maresca’s Chelsea finished top for direct attacks and second for shots from counterattacks – highlighting Arteta’s comments about their dangerous moments in transition. Even though that Chelsea team ranked fourth in possession, they had a real energy about them on the ball.
They were also second in the league for big chances created, expected goals and shots on target. It may not quite be the elite standards set by Guardiola in the past – but it’s still a solid basis to work with.
And at Chelsea, Maresca was working with a young squad – and still qualified for the Champions League and won a European trophy, plus the Club World Cup.
The way Chelsea’s season unravelled under Liam Rosenior showed just how easily the project could have gone – under Maresca, he guided them into the Christmas-time title conversation in each of the past two seasons.
“The job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit,” said Guardiola about Maresca’s achievements during the season just gone.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Pep Guardiola reflected on Enzo Maresca’s exit from Chelsea, saying it confirmed how lucky the Man City manager is with his role within the team
At City, Maresca will have more than enough experience around him to target the highest honours. Whether he has enough experience himself to guide a seamless transition from Guardiola into a new era remains to be seen.
Leave a Reply