Enzo Maresca Thread

[Fernando 6,739]

That is the truth. 

I don't care what they say about this summer, it was the same said years ago, and last summer. 

These guys need to go! 

[Vesper 31,141]

My understanding is Pep Guardiola will step down at the end of the season with Enzo Maresca all but agreed to take charge next season. Let me explain. Everyone at their club knows this is the direction of travel and they have gone as far as to talk about naming a stand in his honour. The reason it has not been reported as of yet is because every single credible journalist fears Pep and his erratic nature of making a U-Turn “out of the blue” and you cant attach your lifes work and reputation to such a erratic yet genius human being without being 100000% sure and I respect that. In summary, City have prepared for life without him with everything in place hoping he says “ we cannoh replace me” The direction of travel is for him to step down and they have agreed an in-depth package with Maresca. They will deny it and I respect that but… Let the chips fall where they may.

 

[mkh 779]

✅️Enzo Maresca to City✅️

 

[Pizy 19,319]

Ngl, this definitely makes me lose a bit of respect for Maresca. It absolutely looks like he snaked his way out of here because he had been told Pep was going months ago and City wanted him to be the replacement. 

He’s got the plausible deniability to blame it on clashing with our board, and there likely WAS some of that, but no manager in his position just up and walks away from a top PL job with zero compensation if he didn’t already have something he considers better lined up.
 

Maresca knew LONG before he left Chelsea that he was the next City manager and was working on it WHILST he was managing us. That’s fucked up, tbh…

[Special Juan 28,827]

Maresca wasn't all that, he will inherit Pep's City in the first season and the second season when it all goes Klopp/Slot is where he will be judged

 

[mkh 779]

⏳️👌BREAKING: Chelsea are shaping up for a legal battle with Manchester City over their putative appointment of Enzo Maresca. (@Telegraph)

[Vesper 31,141]

Chelsea could demand compensation if Enzo Maresca replaces Pep Guardiola

Club may launch legal claim if Italian, who left Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances in January, takes over at Manchester City

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/Chelsea-demand-compensation-enzo-maresca-pep-guardiola-z0rkgw02x

Manchester City could be the subject of a legal claim from Chelsea if, as expected, they appoint Enzo Maresca as a replacement for Pep Guardiola. 

While City remain publicly silent on Guardiola’s future, with the manager unlikely to respond to the latest media reports in the press conferences he is scheduled to give this week, Sunday will be his last game after a decade in charge. It is anticipated a formal announcement of his departure will come before a parade to celebrate the success City have enjoyed this season on Monday.

Chelsea will be watching the situation closely, and could well demand compensation if City respond to Guardiola’s exit by securing the services of a manager who left Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances in January. 

Earlier this season the 46-year-old Italian held a meeting with City via intermediaries and initially used it in an attempt to activate new contract discussions with Chelsea when he was still their head coach. Chelsea and City have always declined to comment publicly on what happened, but at a conference in Los Angeles last month, Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali was asked about Maresca’s departure.

Eghbali, left, pictured with the chairman Todd Boehly, said the departure of Maresca at Chelsea was “not a change we wanted to make” Clive Rose/Getty Images

“The change wasn’t the club’s decision,” he said. “For reasons I can’t speak about legally. I think the reasons will become kind of clear in due course. But no, it’s not a change we wanted to make. It’s a change that’s had a bit of a negative impact on the season, when you’re changing systems and personnel. And it’s one we’ve got to fight our way out of.”

If City choose to dismiss any such claim, Chelsea would have to submit a formal complaint to the Premier League, triggering an investigation.

Maresca left Chelsea on January 2 after he failed to honour his post-match media duties in the wake of a disappointing draw with Bournemouth.

By then his team were on a run of just one win in seven Premier League games, with his position considered to be untenable after aiming what was seen as a direct attack on the club ownership following a defeat of Everton on December 13. Maresca complained that he had experienced “the worst 48 hours” of his career, hinting at clashes with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.

Maresca, right, worked under Guardiola as his assistant at City Jason Cairnduff/reuters

Chelsea then turned to Liam Rosenior, and now reflect on that managerial change as an episode that seriously undermined their season. The club had been in second place before a run of poor results that preceded Maresca’s departure.

Clearly, Maresca is still held in high regard by City. Before enjoying a successful spell at Leicester City, Maresca was City’s Under-23 coach and then first-team assistant to Guardiola during the 2022-23 season.

After guiding Leicester to the Championship he led Chelsea to Conference League glory and victory at the new-look Club World Cup.

Read more

• Pep Guardiola’s decade at Man City: genius who changed English football
• Pep Guardiola: The stats behind his decade at Man City

City have announced that the parade on Monday will be followed by “The After Party”; what they describe as a “special separate event” at the Co-op Live, the new entertainment venue that sits adjacent to the Etihad Stadium.

“With live music, entertainment, player interviews from both men’s and women’s teams and special guests it’s sure to be an evening to remember,” the club said in a release, with tickets available from £12 for adults. 

[OneMoSalah 9,112]

Don’t see why the club or anyone are that arsed if he goes to City. He didn’t have much of a connection with the fans. They had clauses in his contract for him to inform them if he was going to speak to other clubs. So they obviously were prepared to let him go at some point - its just they’ve got egg on their face and terms weren’t in the clubs favour. 

If they were that bothered they wouldn’t have been so stubborn, they’d of tried to meet him in the middle. But they didn’t. Same with Poch. Same with Tuchel. 

Pointless exercise that will be a distraction or rumble on to the point nobody will give a fuck anyway. Particularly when they are looking to start afresh/with a new approach….

Be same again situation again in 12 months no doubt when they fall out with Alonso.

Edited Tuesday at 20:38 by OneMoSalah

[Vesper 31,141]

Enzo Maresca working on transfer, pre-season plans ahead of Manchester City job

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7289785/2026/05/20/man-city-enzo-maresca-manager-plans/

Enzo Maresca has started working on summer transfer activity and pre-season planning before his impending appointment by Manchester City.

The Italian is set to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, with the Catalan bringing to an end his glittering 10-year tenure.

Former Chelsea head coach Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January, a fortnight after The Athletic revealed he would be high among the candidates for the City job in the event Guardiola departed the club this summer, as he is now set to do.

And sources briefed on the situation, not authorised to speak publicly, say he has already been collaborating closely with sporting director Hugo Viana for pre-season, the new campaign and beyond in preparation to take over.

Maresca won the Conference League and the Club World Cup in his one full season in charge in west London and led the club to Champions League qualification.

The 46-year-old, who won the Championship title with Leicester City, has worked at City previously, coaching the club’s Under-21 side for the 2020-21 season and returning as a first-team assistant to Guardiola in the summer of 2022.

Guardiola has guided City to 20 trophies across a decade at the club, including the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season.

After winning four successive Premier League titles between 2021 and 2024, with the 2022-23 campaign bringing the treble including City’s first Champions League trophy, the club have now gone successive seasons without a league title.

In 2024-25, City finished third and 13 points behind eventual champions Liverpool, before losing out to Arsenal this campaign.

His final game will come against Aston Villa at the Etihad on Sunday, on the Premier League’s final weekend of the season.

What You Should Read Next

Is Enzo Maresca the right head coach for Manchester City? We asked seven Athletic writers

Succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City will be an onerous — perhaps impossible — task. But Maresca seems certain to accept it

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What kind of player suits Maresca’s preferred style?

Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey

Asked in a Chelsea press conference about Renato Veiga’s desire to play centre-back in January 2025, Maresca took the opportunity to set out his broader philosophy of the footballers he likes: “If there is a player that only wants to play one position, they have to adapt.”

Maresca values versatility in players, a level of game intelligence and skill that can transcend specialised positions when the opponent or the circumstances of the game demand it.

His goalkeeper must be prepared to play with the ball at his feet well outside his box. His full-backs must be ready to invert into defensive or even attacking midfield, as well as overlap or underlap in the final third. His centre-backs must be prepared to push deep into opposition territory to track their markers, as well as recover into the vast expanse of space behind them.

His midfielders must always know where the space and the free men are. His wingers must pick the right times to move infield and stay wide. His striker must know when to drop deep to receive the ball and link play, and when to run in behind or connect with crosses into the box.

Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella and Pedro Neto in particular thrived. Levi Colwill and Moises Caicedo also excelled in a tighter structure, though Cole Palmer at times gave the impression of a player whose improvisational genius was being curbed.

Maresca will find plenty of suitable players at City. The likes of Nico O’Reilly, Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi, Matheus Nunes, Rodri, Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo should adapt easily. Others — perhaps even star names like Gianluigi Donnarumma and Erling Haaland — may find his football less than ideal for their skill sets.

David Ornstein joined The Athletic in October 2019 after 12 years as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. In the role of Football Correspondent, he is responsible for producing exclusive and original stories and interviews, offering unique insight and analysis. He works across

[bigbluewillie 1,983]

Brilliant he fucked the fuckers...