Pep Guardiola has reportedly admitted that Enzo Maresca has completely transformed Manchester City since taking over from him, with the former City manager impressed by the way his successor has given the team a new identity while maintaining the winning mentality established during Guardiola’s decade at the Etihad.
Maresca inherited an enormous challenge when Guardiola stepped down after an extraordinary spell in charge. Guardiola had spent 10 years building Manchester City into one of the dominant teams in European football, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League and multiple domestic trophies. Maresca therefore arrived knowing that comparisons with his former boss would be unavoidable.
However, the early signs under the Italian have been extremely encouraging.
Maresca has not attempted to simply copy everything Guardiola did. Instead, he has introduced his own ideas while retaining some of the principles he learned during his time working alongside Guardiola. That balance appears to be one of the biggest reasons behind City’s impressive start to the new campaign.
Reports have highlighted how Maresca has changed certain structures and patterns both in and out of possession. During pre-season, he explained that every player had effectively been given a fresh start, with everyone beginning on an equal footing rather than being judged purely on their status under the previous manager.
That approach has seemingly created a different atmosphere within the squad.
Players who may have struggled for consistency under Guardiola have been given opportunities to impress the new manager, while established stars have also been challenged to prove themselves again.
Maresca’s message has been straightforward: reputation alone will not guarantee a place in his team.
The Italian has also brought a different tactical personality to Manchester City.
His football remains heavily influenced by possession, positional rotations and structured build-up, but he has shown a willingness to make adjustments depending on the players available to him. That flexibility has already become an important part of his management style.
One of the most interesting aspects of the transition has been the way Maresca has handled players who were already central to Guardiola’s team.
Phil Foden is a particularly important example.
Maresca previously worked with Foden during his time on Guardiola’s coaching staff and understands the England international’s qualities. He has made it clear that one of his objectives is to help Foden rediscover his best level and enjoy his football again.
Maresca has described Foden as a player capable of winning matches when he is in the right physical and mental condition.
That personal knowledge could prove extremely valuable.
Rather than trying to completely rebuild City from scratch, Maresca appears to understand that his biggest responsibility is to maximize the quality already available to him while gradually introducing his own ideas.
That could be what Guardiola admires most.
Maresca knows the club.
He knows the expectations.
He understands Guardiola’s methods.
But he is also experienced enough to know that becoming Guardiola’s replacement does not mean becoming Guardiola.
The Italian spent part of City’s treble-winning 2022–23 campaign working within Guardiola’s coaching staff, meaning he understands the standards required at the highest level. The Premier League has also described him as one of the coaches influenced by Guardiola’s methods who has subsequently developed his own managerial career.
His career since leaving Manchester City has helped prepare him for this moment.
At Leicester City, Maresca won promotion to the Premier League. At Chelsea, he won the Conference League and Club World Cup while securing Champions League qualification. Those achievements helped convince Manchester City that he possessed the experience and tactical understanding necessary to take over from Guardiola.
Still, nothing could have fully prepared him for the pressure of replacing Guardiola.
Guardiola left behind a huge legacy.
His Manchester City side had become synonymous with possession football, positional discipline, relentless pressing and technical superiority. Supporters had become accustomed to watching City dominate matches and compete for trophies every season.
Maresca knew that changing the manager could easily have disrupted that stability.
Instead, he has attempted to make the transition feel like an evolution rather than a complete revolution.
That was visible from the opening match of the season.
Manchester City fell behind against Bournemouth in Maresca’s first Premier League game, creating immediate questions about whether the post-Guardiola era would be difficult. But City responded dramatically, scoring twice late in the match to secure a 2–1 victory.
The comeback was significant because it demonstrated something Guardiola’s teams had possessed for years: resilience.
City refused to accept defeat.
They continued pushing forward.
And eventually, their pressure produced the breakthrough.
Marc Guéhi equalised before Josko Gvardiol scored the stoppage-time winner, with substitute Rayan Cherki also playing an important role in the winning goal.
For Maresca, it was the perfect beginning.
The performance was not flawless, but the mentality was exactly what he wanted.
Since then, City’s form has continued to attract attention.
By September, Maresca’s side had reportedly won six consecutive matches in all competitions, giving him a 100 per cent start to the Premier League season at that stage.
That run immediately changed the conversation surrounding the new manager.
Instead of asking whether anyone could possibly replace Guardiola, supporters began asking what Maresca could achieve with the squad.
And that is where the idea of City being “turned around” becomes particularly interesting.
Maresca has not simply improved results.
He has also changed the mentality surrounding certain players.
Every member of the squad knows that the new manager is willing to make difficult decisions.
At the same time, players have been given the opportunity to start again.
That combination can be extremely powerful.
A player who feels overlooked can suddenly become important.
A player who was previously guaranteed a starting position can no longer take his place for granted.
And younger players understand that strong performances in training can lead to genuine opportunities.
Maresca has also shown that he is prepared to experiment tactically.
In his opening match, for example, he used Guéhi in midfield as he searched for solutions within a squad that was still adapting to his system. He explained afterward that the team was a work in progress and that he was looking for different solutions.
That willingness to experiment could become one of the defining characteristics of his tenure.
Guardiola was famous for his tactical adjustments, but Maresca is demonstrating that he is not afraid to make his own decisions.
The transition has also occurred during a period of major change at City.
Several important figures have departed, including Bernardo Silva, while other established players have faced questions about their futures and roles. Reuters noted that Maresca inherited a team undergoing significant change following Guardiola’s departure and the exits of key players.
That makes his early results even more noteworthy.
He is not inheriting the exact same Manchester City that Guardiola left.
He is building something different.
The new City is likely to have a different personality.
There may be more tactical variation.
There may be different responsibilities for the midfielders.
There may be greater opportunities for younger players.
And there could be more freedom for attacking players such as Rayan Cherki to express themselves.
Maresca’s handling of Cherki is already an interesting example.
Against Bournemouth, the Frenchman came off the bench and immediately changed the match, eventually helping create the winning goal. Maresca praised his impact and indicated that the player could soon have opportunities to start.
That willingness to trust players who can change matches could become an important feature of Maresca’s City.
Guardiola’s reported admiration for the transformation would therefore make sense.
Maresca has taken the foundations he learned at City and developed them into something that belongs to him.
He understands that possession alone is not enough.
He wants the team to have structure, but he also wants players capable of making individual differences.
He wants control, but he is not afraid of attacking transitions.
He wants discipline, but he also wants creativity.
Most importantly, he wants the players to believe that Manchester City can continue winning after Guardiola.
That psychological challenge may have been the biggest obstacle facing him.
When a manager leaves after 10 years and 20 trophies, the natural temptation is to constantly compare the successor with him. Guardiola’s achievements were so extraordinary that almost any replacement would initially appear inferior.
Maresca has tried to avoid that trap.
He has repeatedly emphasized that he is focused on his own job rather than spending too much time thinking about his predecessor.
That mentality could be crucial.
He knows Guardiola will always be part of City’s history.
But he also knows that the future belongs to the current team.
And that is exactly what makes the transition so fascinating.
Maresca is not trying to erase Guardiola’s legacy.
He is trying to create his own.
If he continues delivering results, Manchester City could enter a new period of success under a manager who was once part of Guardiola’s coaching staff.
The irony would be remarkable.
The man chosen to succeed Guardiola could ultimately prove that the Guardiola coaching tree is capable of producing another elite manager at the very club where the philosophy was developed.
For City supporters, the biggest question now is whether the impressive beginning can be converted into trophies.
Winning six consecutive matches or starting strongly is one thing.
Maintaining that level over an entire season is another.
The Premier League remains brutally competitive, while Champions League football brings an entirely different level of pressure.
Maresca will eventually face periods of poor form, injuries, difficult tactical problems and pressure from supporters.
That is when the true test of his management will begin.
But his early work has already changed the atmosphere around Manchester City.
Instead of focusing entirely on what the club lost when Guardiola left, supporters are beginning to look at what the club might gain under Maresca.
That is arguably the biggest compliment the Italian can receive.
The Guardiola era has ended.
The Maresca era has begun.
And if the new manager continues developing the squad, improving players and producing results, Manchester City could remain one of the major forces in English and European football for years to come.