Maresca admits following Guardiola could be 'impossible' as he settles in at Man City
Enzo Maresca spoke to five travelling UK-based media in Seoul during Manchester City's pre-season in South Korea this summer, addressing the challenge of succeeding Pep Guardiola and discussing preparations ahead of the new campaign.
Maresca, who returns to City after serving as Guardiola's assistant during the Treble-winning 2022-23 season, took over after Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season; Guardiola left having guided the club to 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League. The interview in Seoul came as Maresca nears the end of his first pre-season as Manchester City manager and begins assembling his staff and plans for the coming season.
On comparisons with Guardiola, Maresca acknowledged the constant benchmarking and the difficulty of the task, saying: "After 10 games, if we have got 10 points, 20 points, 30 points. People will be comparing it to Pep after 10 games, it doesn't put pressure on me." He added: "I have said many times while I was at Leicester or Chelsea, he is the best manager in the world over the last 15 or 20 years. "When he started in Spain, everyone wanted to play like Barcelona, he moved to Germany everyone wanted to play like Bayern [Munich], he comes to England and everyone wants to play like City. "Someone asked me if it's the impossible job to follow him - maybe, but at the same time it's a privilege."
Maresca said he met Guardiola in Barcelona a day before he officially signed as his replacement, describing the meeting as "useful" to pick his brains after a decade at the club. "We spent some hours together," he said. "We had planned before the season finished here to spend some time in the summer holidays together. "I like to go in empty sometimes to see things for myself - but he was here so long, he has his opinions. But also you have to arrive and see things for yourself, see all the picture." To signal a change, Maresca has moved into the office of former assistant Pep Lijnders at City's training base, next door to Guardiola's old office, which has been converted into a meeting room.
Shortly after his appointment at the end of June Maresca apologised to his former club Chelsea for the "disruption" caused by his mid-season departure. Reflecting on the six months between jobs, he said: "I tried to enjoy a little bit more [time] with the family," he says about his wife and four children. "And everyone is talking about AI, so I want to understand how it works. So I did two masterclasses to understand it a little bit more and have more knowledge." He acknowledged the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life and coaching.
Maresca identified tactical shifts in the Premier League since he was an assistant three years ago, pointing to an increase in set-piece goals and man-to-man defending. He noted Arsenal last season "scored 25 goals from set-pieces in the process - including 19 from corners alone" and flagged new rules intended to speed up play, including a five-second limit for goal-kicks and throw-ins with possession handed to the opposition if the limits are exceeded. On the league's overall quality he said: "It is because of the quality of the players, the quality of the managers, the organisation of the Premier League. It is completely different compared to other countries. "Which league can compete with the Premier League? Spain? Barcelona, Real Madrid, yes, but then the rest is not the same. You have six teams here who are more or less there."
Maresca outlined his backroom team and the tone he wants to set at the club, noting the make-up includes Argentine Willy Caballero, two Italians, three Spaniards and that he himself speaks French. He said he has not led an initiation song because "the manager doesn't sing", praised goalkeeping coach Michele de Bernardin as "very good" and called analyst Javi Molina's rendition of Frank Sinatra's My Way "the worst" — "it was a disaster". He spoke warmly about first-team coach Danny Walker, saying: "We go for breakfast it is beans on toast, we go for dinner it is a beer." He described Walker's long-standing work with City's young players and added: "He is very good. He is good on extra work at the end, when we keep players doing something extra. "It is demanding. If we don't win games, we are all going home."
Maresca will choose the next City captain himself after Bernardo Silva's departure and wants a homegrown player in the leadership committee; the current group includes Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Rodri, who has been the subject of a failed bid from Barcelona. On potential captaincy options he said: "Erling was one of the first to send a message when I joined the club," and explained a past rule: "When we scored the captain had to come to the bench, not to celebrate, but for instructions. But if he scores, then he can celebrate." He added: "If Erling is the captain, we have a problem, can you imagine? If you saw the game [against K-League XI] on Wednesday, when we scored the first goal, Ruben came over to the bench. "I think even if it is two or three minutes, there is always something to adjust. At the moment, we have three or four [in the leadership group] and we are missing one. In the case of Rodri, see what happens."
Maresca faces immediate selection and squad decisions, with the next captain, Rodri's future and City's starting XI among the issues to resolve ahead of Sunday's Community Shield against Arsenal.