Enzo Maresca walked back into the Etihad Stadium not as Pep Guardiola’s assistant but as the man replacing him. After a decade of dominance, Guardiola handed the keys to a former apprentice who has spent the last three years learning how to win on his own. Maresca signed a three-year deal to take over Manchester City, and the quick consensus around the club is that the system won’t change much. But the details? Those will look different.
Maresca won the Championship with Leicester in 2024, then took Chelsea back to the Champions League and added a Europa Conference League title. He also won the Club World Cup in 2025, beating Luis Enrique’s PSG side in the final. That’s two trophies in two seasons at Chelsea before he resigned in January 2026 — a move that surprised nobody inside the game once it became clear he was waiting for this job.
The Goalkeeper Puzzle
Maresca likes a goalkeeper who can play out from the back. At Leicester he used Mads Hermansen for exactly that reason. At Chelsea he started Robert Sanchez despite his flaws on the ball, and adjusted the system to protect him. Now he’s got Gianluigi Donnarumma — an elite shot-stopper who isn’t especially comfortable with his feet — and James Trafford, a City academy kid who Maresca coached with the U21s. Trafford is the better fit for a possession-based style, but Maresca has shown he will adapt if the talent gap is too wide. It’s a real decision, and it might not get sorted by opening day.
Full-Backs Who Play Inside
One of Maresca’s signature moves is the inverted full-back. At Leicester, Ricardo Pereira and Hamza Choudhury tucked inside during build-up. At Chelsea, Reece James and Malo Gusto did the same. The idea is to create overloads in central midfield so the team can play through pressure instead of going around it.
That role looks perfect for Nico O’Reilly. Maresca coached him in the academy, and O’Reilly already plays as a hybrid defender who pushes forward. He scored a brace in the Carabao Cup Final against Arsenal last season. On the right side, Matheus Nunes has been doing the conservative full-back job, tucking into a back three. That frees O’Reilly to roam. There’s even talk that Maresca could use a pure center-back like Khusanov on the right if he wants more defensive cover.
Midfield Chemistry
City sold club captain Bernardo Silva and brought in Elliot Anderson in a record-breaking transfer. Anderson can play as a holding mid or a more progressive eight — he did both for England at the World Cup and for Nottingham Forest last season. Rodri is still there, still the best in the world at what he does. The pairing looks fluid enough to handle whatever Maresca asks, but the real question is how they create space for the attackers.
Maresca’s number ten tends to drift between lines, find pockets, and combine with the striker. He did that at Chelsea with Cole Palmer, and the early guess is Rayan Cherki fills that role here. Cherki can go wide or stay central, and he’s got the quick decision-making Maresca demands.
Wide Threats and the Haaland Question
Erling Haaland scored 27 Premier League goals last season — 35 percent of City’s total. Maresca’s system asks the striker to work hard in build-up, to link with the ten, and to stretch the pitch. Jackson did that at Chelsea, but Jackson and Haaland are not the same kind of player. Haaland is a finisher first. Maresca will need to adjust his approach or let Haaland do what he does best and just feed him.
Out wide, Maresca wants direct one-on-one threats. At Leicester he had Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi combining for 37 goals and assists. At City, he’s got Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku coming off their best seasons. Both can beat defenders on the dribble, both can run in behind. That should keep defenses stretched and give Haaland the space he thrives on.
City scored 77 league goals last season. Maresca’s job is to keep that number high while tightening things up at the back. The pieces are there. The question is how fast he can make them fit.
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