New Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has signed a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola, expressing his excitement to return to the Etihad for a third stint. The 46-year-old Italian previously coached City's Under-21 side to a league title and was part of the coaching staff during the Treble-winning 2023 campaign.
Return to Manchester City
“First of all, thank you. As you said, this is the third time – hopefully it’s the last time I come back and I don’t leave anymore. I’m very excited, very excited for many reasons. The first one is how big the Club is, so this for sure has been one of the reasons why,” Maresca said.
Challenge and Ambition
He acknowledged the magnitude of the task: “It’s a huge challenge, for many reasons. All the success over the last 10 to 15 years, but at the same moment it’s a nice challenge. It’s exciting because the target is to continue or carry on the last decade or the last years that everything was very nice.”
Style and Philosophy
Maresca emphasized continuity: “The idea from the Club is to maintain the same style of football, the same idea and we’re going to try to do the most important thing in football which is try to win, to achieve important things. Then the day-by-day is also going to dictate the way I will work.” He added, “The idea is to continue as much as we can to dominate games, to play in the opposite side, be aggressive off the ball and with intention on the ball.”
Previous Experience at City
His prior spells at the club will aid his transition: “Absolutely, yes. It’s much easier when you join a club or a place where you already connect with the people and know already the people inside the building. I know most of the people in terms of squad, in terms of players I probably will find four or five players from the season the last time I was here.”
Squad Assessment
Maresca praised the current squad: “Yes it’s a young squad, but it’s a very good squad. I think also we have the right mix between young players and more experienced players which helps the young ones a lot to grow and improve.” On potential additions, he said: “The squad is already good, for sure. We need to do some things, but we are working with Hugo and we will see.”
Academy Quality
He highlighted the academy’s output: “I think in the last, I’m not sure exactly how many years, but also when I was here with the EDS, most of that squad, most of those players are all Premier League players or almost all of them. The way they are working and the methodology they use in the last years also helps the young players to develop in the right way. With younger players, you need also to be a little bit brave to give them an opportunity and we will continue to do that.”
Memories of the Treble Season
Reflecting on 2023, Maresca said: “It was an incredible season for many reasons. 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. Then, the season finished in a great way. The parade with all the blue city - that was a fantastic feeling. That was an important journey for sure.”
Evolution of Football
On changes since his playing days: “It has completely changed. From my point of view, it’s different football because everything evolves. So also in football with all the analysis that you can do about teams and players. It’s much easier to find solutions against teams which is why as a manager you need to evolve, to change things, otherwise if you continue to do the same things, they will find a solution and it’s more difficult. But no doubt that in the last 20 years football has completely changed.”
Influences from Former Managers
Maresca credited his former bosses: “Absolutely. I think that during the experience as a player, you try to take all the best things from all the managers. For sure, for me, it has been – I feel like I’ve been lucky working and sharing time with the managers you’ve just mentioned [Ancelotti, Lippi, Pellegrini] because they showed during the seasons and years how good they have been and they are also all different. Lippi in terms of leadership was fantastic, Ancelotti in terms of calming down and also he’s a top manager so I feel quite lucky.”
Excitement for the Future
He concluded: “This also shows that me, but in general, my family, that we like a lot Manchester as a city. We feel very good in the two years we spent here with the kids, with everyone, so the idea is to continue to enjoy the city and to find a good moment where we can also spend time with City.” On the fans: “I feel so excited. As I mentioned a few minutes ago, I remember the environment in that game – Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid. The environment, the way they pushed the team was absolutely top. I have no doubts that they are going to support the team and support the new manager, after 10 years with Pep with the same manager. No doubt everything will be good.”
