Enzo Maresca has many reasons to remember his last spell with Manchester City fondly. What was threatening to be a disappointing and difficult year instead transformed into an historic one as Pep Guardiola's side won the Treble.
Maresca's fond memories of the Treble season
From there, Maresca went straight to manage Leicester and started the coaching path that would lead him back to City now as Guardiola's successor. As he returns, it was interesting to hear him pick out a specific part of the 2022/23 season that he particularly enjoyed.
"It was an incredible year for many reasons," he said. "For the trophies the club achieved, but also for the entire experience. I still remember the last part of the season, the games at home against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool, the way the fans tried to push the team. The environment inside the stadium, that was unbelievable."
The electric atmosphere of spring 2023
It probably does Maresca no harm in getting the fans on side to mention them, but anyone who was there for that balmy spell in the spring of 2023 will always savour those occasions - especially the three night games against Bayern, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. Istanbul will always be Istanbul and beating United in the FA Cup final at Wembley was special, yet that feeling in the Etihad was electric as City felt absolutely unstoppable against the toughest opponents in world football.
Every club would bottle that up if they could, but it is incredibly difficult to replicate. Everything needs to be in harmony with a strong connection between the team and the fans, pushing each other on in big games to make the difference.
The challenge of recreating the atmosphere
No wonder Maresca remembers it enough for it to be at the front of his City memories, yet his wish to recreate it will be much tougher. If it is to be possible, and there's an argument to suggest it may not be until the business end of the season when the games take on more importance, City are going to need the new North Stand to play its part.
Just as Maresca moved on in 2023, so the dynamic with the fans at the Etihad has changed. The team have recovered their connection with supporters after losing it in the 2024/25 season when the commitment wasn't always there, but there have also been complexities with the club regarding tickets - and not just increases, but changes to other policies that have impacted on who attends City games and how loud it is.
The £300m North Stand investment
If Maresca is to get the atmosphere that he remembers, the £300m investment City have put into the stadium and campus could be key to it. The North Stand looks impressive, it just remains to be seen how much it can add to the atmosphere every week.
There were moments last season where the noise returned - the home game with Arsenal in April was probably the standout - but the North Stand can take it to a new level, or at least back to where it was before the Treble. With most of their rivals at home in the second half of the season, and the club will hope Champions League knockout games as well, the potential is there to give Maresca what he wants.
