Enzo Maresca will introduce himself to the media as Manchester City head coach for the first time today. The Italian welcomed back a selection of first-team and academy stars for pre-season training this week, marking the start of his era at the club. Maresca arrives with plenty of goodwill from City supporters but there is no denying that he has big shoes to fill.
He will conduct his first press conference as City boss today. This will be the first time Maresca has properly addressed the media since taking over from Pep Guardiola and gives him the chance of a proper introduction before the chaos of a pre-season tour and new campaign begins.
It's only natural for some fans to worry given City have said goodbye to the most successful manager in their history, so MEN Sport has taken a look at four ways Maresca can ease City nerves when answering some major questions this afternoon.
Chelsea exit
There could well be some questions on the agenda about his messy Chelsea exit. By the end of the Stamford Bridge stint, Maresca and the Chelsea board were at loggerheads. Chelsea have since accused Maresca of taking his eye off the ball, with his resignation throwing the club into turmoil midway through the campaign. Maresca apologised for this and City are paying compensation to Chelsea. While the manner of his Chelsea exit might be concerning for City fans, Maresca can ease nerves by being honest about what happened.
Pep Guardiola
How Maresca fields questions about the legendary manager will be important, too. For the new boss, this season will be all about walking that tightrope between implementing his style while also respecting what worked so well for Guardiola. Considering they worked together previously at City, you would expect there to be some continuity with their methods and style of play. Maresca would help himself by suggesting that just subtle tweaks are needed. This job is difficult because of who came before him, not because of the talent at his disposal. City were not far off last season, so proposing sweeping changes would do little to ease any nerves.
Player exodus
City have already lost Bernardo Silva and John Stones from their leadership group this summer. And there are growing concerns that Rodri could leave with Real Madrid sniffing around. Losing senior players and Guardiola last season felt like a suckerpunch for City. Were Rodri to leave too, it would not help Maresca. But perhaps today is an opportunity for Maresca to send a message to the World Cup winner. Considering the upheaval already, keeping Rodri this summer feels huge for Maresca - even if it means he leaves next summer. If Maresca manages to do that, it would go down very well with City fans. Today's press conference is an opportunity to lay the foundations for keeping Rodri and avoiding further turmoil.
Phil Foden
The big news on Wednesday was Foden's new four-year contract. It had been in the pipeline for a while, but the announcement offers long-term peace of mind for the 26-year-old. Attention will soon turn to his performances, though. One of Maresca's biggest challenges will be to get Foden playing consistently again. The last two seasons have been tough for him but after the summer exits, Foden has now become a senior figure and needs to play like one, too. If Maresca can get Foden firing again, that would be seen as a big tick come the end-of-season review. The midfielder already gave Maresca a vote of confidence this week and this afternoon offers Maresca the chance to repay the compliment. Fans will want to see more from Foden this season and this is Maresca's opportunity to prove he is the right man to get the best out of him.
