Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has assumed control following Pep Guardiola’s departure after a 10-year tenure. While Maresca was influenced by his former mentor, he has developed his own tactical identity that has begun to take shape during pre-season matches.
Guardiola’s approach was built on several core principles: maintaining high possession, keeping the ball away from his own goal and close to the opponent’s, and emphasizing positional play. Positional play involves placing players in specific relationships to one another on the field to maintain structure both when attacking and pressing after losing possession. Guardiola also prioritized “rest defence,” maintaining defensive cover behind the ball during attacks to counter opposing counter-attacks.
Maresca’s City have adopted and maintained these foundational principles. In their opening match against Inter Milan, City achieved 64% possession while operating in a 3-2-2-3 formation that Maresca previously employed at Chelsea. This setup uses three defenders in the first line with possession, two midfielders to progress play and provide defensive screening, and wingers positioned high and wide. One notable point of emphasis for Maresca involves the deployment of wide wingers. Unlike Guardiola’s final season when wingers operated narrowly due to available personnel, Maresca’s system returns to wider positioning, similar to City’s approach during the 2016-17 season with players like Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane. This tactical choice simplifies the game for wingers by forcing them to beat only one defender before delivering cut-backs. During pre-season, Antoine Semenyo exemplified this approach, regularly receiving the ball in wide areas with time and space to create attacking opportunities.
Maresca’s most significant defensive adjustment departs from his time at Chelsea, where he favored man-to-man pressing. At City, he has implemented a more zonal defensive approach, with the team forming a 4-2-4 shape before pressing specific opponents when opportunities arise. This change reflects Maresca’s observation that attacking teams are increasingly prepared to face man-to-man presses. While this defensive system showed weakness during pre-season matches, such issues typically improve as players develop understanding and physical conditioning increases.
Maresca’s appointment provides continuity in City’s identity and core principles while introducing distinct tactical elements. His formation and emphasis on wide wingers reference City’s treble-winning season and centurion campaign, while his focus on full-backs moving infield and attacking reflects City’s recent approach. As City begins a new chapter under Maresca, his system draws from the club’s decade-long foundation while establishing his own coaching identity.
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