President Khaldoon Al Mubarak spent 12 months preparing for “LAP”, or “life after Pep”. The decision to hand over the coaching baton to Maresca came after a long period of consideration. But that was what happened in 2023, laying the foundations for Maresca to become heir to Guardiola’s throne. Maresca was alongside Guardiola in one of the most important speeches of Guardiola’s career.
At half-time of that season’s Champions League final, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Guardiola inside City’s dressing room. The high-profile match between City and Inter Milan in Istanbul ended in a scoreless stalemate.
City were lackluster and dissatisfied. Takane’s dreams were left in limbo. It goes without saying that Guardiola’s personal “holy grail” is to conquer Europe.
He’s done that before, but not at City. That was the only reason he was appointed in the first place.
Guardiola addressed his players in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium dressing room and told them the plans he and Maresca had devised during the first half. City won 1-0 and wrote their name in history. And Guardiola still praises Maresca’s key contribution to that iconic night of Turkish Delight.
That’s one of the reasons Guardiola handpicked Maresca as his successor. He knows that Italians have lived through these important moments. He knows Maresca has the ability to think clearly under pressure. And he knows Maresca is immersed in his and his new club’s winning formula and approach.
He is one of Guardiola’s alumni. And he has used this knowledge and expertise to continue winning trophies to his name. He won the Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea, and the team defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the final. And when he left Chelsea at the beginning of 2026, the London club was second in the Premier League.
Guardiola is said to have been “surprised and stunned” when he learned that Chelsea had sacked him. But he didn’t have to be. The reason for this is that, as we are now beginning to discover, Chelsea had picked up on rumors that Maresca was in talks to replace Guardiola in six months’ time.
And the due diligence City have carried out on Maresca has led to the conclusion that he would bring continuity and stability to Manchester’s blue half during a tumultuous period.
He came to admire Guardiola while playing against him as a player in La Liga, and adopted the same formation and tactics when he became manager himself. He is obsessed with a methodical approach to possession and attacking football.
He’s not afraid to throw a curveball if he sees fit. And let’s not forget, he is inheriting a team packed with world-class talent that has been lavishly spent with £400 million this season alone.
All the tools are in place for Maresca to go ahead and build something special of his own.
