The speculation of Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City continues to grow in the media. Enzo Mareca is the main name being touted to succeed the Spaniard.
Maresca was Guardiola’s assistant at Man City in the 2022-23 Treble-winning campaign. He left to manage Leicester City and then Chelsea, winning trophies in both of his full seasons at the clubs.
The Italian took Leicester back to the Premier League, winning the Championship with 97 points in 2023-24. He joined Chelsea in the summer of 2024, and guided the Blues back to the Champions League with a fifth-placed finish. They also won the Uefa Conference League and the Club World Cup to end a successful first season.
In this article, we’ll cover
What went wrong at Chelsea
Chelsea had a short break last summer. They lifted the Club World Cup on 13th July and kicked off their Premier League campaign on 17th August. So they only had a few weeks to both result and start preparations.
This instantly distrupted their start to the season, beginning with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Josh Acheampong started alongside Trevoh Chalobah at the back.
Levi Colwill’s injury was a huge point of interest, which eventually led to Maresca’s demise at Chelsea. The Italian made it clear in the summer that he needed a replacement for Colwill, who would be out for the best part of the season.
“When we build, we build with Levi in the middle,” Maresca said.
“The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important. And this is the reason why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders.”
Maresca’s wish was not granted, so the Italian tried to make tactical changes. Tosin Adarabioyo was utilised, as the only other defender with the same central centre-back profile as Colwill. The Blues also shifted to a 2-3 shape in buildup, looking to adapt and take the responsibility away from the defenders.
Other examples include Robert Sanchez being less involved in the buildup to limit his mistakes on the ball. Chelsea played more direct over the press to mitigate the buildup principles. And Maresca insisted on pressing man-for-man in an aggressive fashion to mask the Blues’ poor defending inside their own third/penalty box.
While Chelsea were on a poor run of form throughout the festive period — getting just one win from seven in the league — Maresca’s eventual departure was an amalgamation of things. It stemmed from the lack of support shown from above, despite delivering results in 2024-25. Just after the Blues’ 2-0 win over Everton in mid-December, Maresca spoke of enduring his “worst 48 hours at Chelsea”.
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Maresca’s philosophy
Maresca has a clear philosophy, which aligns with that of Guardiola. He looks to implement positional play to give players a better picture, better space and better solutions on the ball.
Despite his adaptations at Chelsea, building out from the back is important for Maresca. As is the idea to build out in a structured unit, to build through the thirds and establish control.
By moving through the thirds as a unit, players are in good proximity and position to react if they lose possession. It protects them against transition and allows them to regain possession, sustain pressure and reestablish control of the game.
Maresca’s side also look to isolate winngers in 1v1 scenarios in the final third. He uses a positional approach to build to the final third. They then try to create overloads against the opposition backine.
Out of possession, Maresca wants his side to rgain th eball quickly due to their rest defence structure. They also press aggressively from opposition restarts to win the ball in the opposition half, and limit the defending close to his own goal.
Perfect squad?
Man City’s squad would be perfect for Maresca’s style of play. That will come as no surprise, given it has been carefully constructed by Guardiola and the sporting directors at the club over the years.
Maresca looks to build into a 3-2-5 shape, most commonly on the ball. He uses an inverted full-back to join his No.6 in the double pivot, while the other full-back tucks in to create a back three.
The No.8 and No.10 then push into the pockets on either side, with the two wingers holding the width and pinning the opposition backline to make the pitch big. Maresca’s No.9 looks to pin both centre-backs.
The profiles in Man City’s squad are perfect for Maresca. Marc Guehi can be the central centre-back on the ball, with Rodri joined by Nico O’Reilly in midfield to offer security in the pivot. Jeremy Doku is one of the best one-on-one wingers in the world, and Erling Haaland can help to break down low blocks as the box striker.
Maresca looks to shift his shape based on the opposition press and how many they commit, as he wants to create overloads in every phase. Against back fives, the Italian would likely shift to more of a 3-1-6/2-2-6, with the inverted full-back pushing higher into the top line to overload the opposition defence.
The only real profile Maresca would need to replae is Bernardo Silva as that all-phase No.8. Man City are already being linked with Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez in recent weeks.
James Trafford could be another interesting one, as Maresca prefers a goalkeeper who can join in the buildup. But, as shown with Sanchez, Maresca is willing to compromise on that depending on who is available to him.