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Reuters

Associated Press

Manchester City have ⁠appointed Enzo Maresca as ⁠manager to replace departing coach ⁠Pep Guardiola next season, the Premier League club announced on Monday.
Maresca, who has signed a three-year contract, brings familiarity with City’s set-up, having previously coached the club’s youth team. He was also the senior side’s assistant ‌coach under Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season.
One of the Italian’s first assignments will be to prepare the City side to take on his countrymen from Inter Milan at the Hong Kong Football Festival on August 1.
Another Italian side, Juventus, will face Maresca’s previous club, reigning Club World Cup champions Chelsea, four days later.
“Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” Maresca said in a statement.
“The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special, and I want to thank ⁠them for showing faith in my ability.
“I cannot wait to start coaching the players. I want ‌us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City.”

The 46-year-old Italian’s managerial journey began at Parma in ‌2021, where he lasted 14 games, winning only four times. He was ⁠appointed Leicester City boss ⁠at the start of the 2023-24 Championship season and guided them back to the Premier League as champions. ‌
His success in the East Midlands earned him a move to Chelsea, where he was charged with steering a young ‌but ‌expensively assembled squad back to the Champions League.
Maresca delivered a fourth-place finish while ‌also winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, though his relations with the ⁠London club’s owners soured and he left midway through his second season at Stamford Bridge.
⁠He now faces the daunting task of replacing 55-year-old Guardiola, whose decade-long spell transformed City into English football’s dominant force.
Guardiola, who announced his departure in ‌May, led City to ‌a dazzling array of silverware, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown. The Spaniard won the League Cup and FA Cup in his final season to cap a remarkable tenure at the club.
Guardiola was asked in his final news conference as City manager if he had a message to his successor, whoever that might be.
“Just be yourself,” Guardiola said. “The club will support you unconditionally, that’s the biggest compliment.
“Be yourself … be free and your ideas and work a lot. Everything will be fine.”
Still, replacing a long-serving managerial great often has not worked out well.
Alex Ferguson, who was manager at Manchester United for almost 27 years, retired in 2013 and hand-picked his own replacement, David Moyes, who did not last a season.
At Arsenal, Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger – who was coach there from 1996 to 2018 – and was fired after 18 months.

More recently, Arne Slot took over at Liverpool in the summer of 2024 after Jurgen Klopp’s almost nine years in charge and won the Premier League in his first season.
His second season has been tough, though, with Liverpool finishing the recently completed campaign in fifth place. Slot has since resigned.
Maresca joins City at a potentially testing time for the club, who are currently involved in a huge legal case with the Premier League.
City was charged by the league in February 2023 with more than 100 financial breaches, including providing misleading information about their sources of income.
The case was heard by an independent commission between September and December in 2024, but no verdict has been reached.
Punishment could be as extreme as expulsion from the top flight. City have always denied the charges.


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English Premier League

Enzo Maresca faces the daunting task of replacing Pep Guardiola, whose decade-long spell transformed Manchester City ​into English football’s dominant force. Photo: AFP

Enzo Maresca lifts the Fifa Club World Cup trophy after his Chelsea team’s win against Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey last July. Photo: AFP

Ex-Everton manager David Moyes (right) unsuccessfully replaced Alex Ferguson at Manchester United (left) in 2013. Photo: EPA

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Erling Haaland answered questions during a 45-second video on his new Weibo account. Photo: Handout

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Independent Commission Against Corruption chief investigator Ricky Cheuk (left) and principal Investigator Bill Ng, alongside police superintendent Chiew Tsi-huen and Chief Inspector Ho Yan-ki. Photo: Jess Ma

Sport

Football

Italian, who was assistant ‌to Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season, set to oversee side at Hong Kong Football Festival


Italian, who was assistant ‌to Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season, set to oversee side at Hong Kong Football Festival.


Pep Guardiola

Arne Slot

EPL giants Manchester City appoint Enzo Maresca as manager to replace Pep Guardiola

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Italian, who was assistant ‌to Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season, set to oversee side at Hong Kong Football Festival

Italian, who was assistant ‌to Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season, set to oversee side at Hong Kong Football Festival