Manchester City face new era under Enzo Maresca

Manchester City head into the 2026-27 season with the feel of a genuine turning point. Pep Guardiola has gone, Rodri has followed him out of the club, and Enzo Maresca now inherits one of the biggest jobs in European football: preserving City’s status as a force at home and abroad while reshaping a side that has lost several key figures.

The scale of the challenge is reflected in the expectation around them. Guardian writers have collectively tipped City to finish second, a sign that belief in the club’s structure remains strong even as one era gives way to another.

A squad in transition after major exits

Rodri’s move to Barcelona is the departure that most obviously changes the complexion of City’s team. The midfielder’s influence had stretched across the Premier League and the Champions League, and his exit leaves Maresca without one of the game’s most controlling presences. The source material also notes that John Stones, Nathan Aké and Bernardo Silva are no longer at the club, adding to the sense of a summer of significant turnover.

That means Maresca is not simply stepping into Guardiola’s shoes; he is doing so while overseeing a substantial rebuild. The question is not only whether City can remain competitive, but whether they can continue to set the standard they established over recent years.

Anderson arrival and familiar attacking hopes

City have responded by making a major investment in Elliot Anderson, who has arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116m after impressing for England at the World Cup. His arrival appears central to the club’s thinking, particularly with Rodri gone. There is now a clear opening for Anderson to take command of City’s midfield, and the size of the fee underlines the faith Maresca and director of football Hugo Viana have placed in him.

The source points to Anderson’s range of passing as one reason for that confidence, with signs that he can dictate games in different ways. Whether he can do that consistently in a City shirt is one of the season’s defining questions.

Further forward, City still possess the most obvious guarantee of goals in Erling Haaland, who is expected to be among the leading contenders for the Premier League Golden Boot again. There is also intrigue around Phil Foden, who has signed a lucrative new contract. His relationship with Rayan Cherki, and whether he can again become the creative heartbeat of his boyhood club, will be closely watched.

Maresca embraces the scale of the task

Maresca arrives with a strong recent record, having won the Championship with Leicester and lifted both the Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea. That background helps explain why City have trusted him with a role that many would view as daunting.

“It’s fantastic, nice and exciting, and for me, a privilege,” Maresca said. “First of all, the most important thing has been that Khaldoon [al-Mubarak, the chair], Hugo [Viana, the director of football] and Ferran [Soriano, the chief executive] all speak the same language in terms of this is a club that has to win games, titles and has to compete, but we also talk about how we can continue to make this club better, season after season.”

Those comments speak to the continuity City are trying to preserve. Guardiola may have departed, but the club’s internal expectation remains unchanged: compete for the biggest honours and keep evolving.

Strength off the pitch, questions on it

City’s off-field machine remains formidable. The new Pep Guardiola Stand has increased the Etihad Stadium’s capacity to 61,000 from 53,400, while the club have frozen ticket prices for a third straight season. In the new stand, 4,000 flexi season tickets have sold out, with half allocated to junior fans, and £10 seats have been introduced for people living in the five wards around the ground.

At the same time, the source notes that the club’s wider standing would be altered if they were found guilty over the 130 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League rules. City continue to deny wrongdoing.

On the pitch, there are also practical issues for Maresca to solve. City conceded more league goals from set pieces last season than in the previous two campaigns combined, an area that proved costly. So while the headline story is about succession and star departures, the finer details may matter just as much.

City remain one of football’s best-run institutions and still have elite talent. But this season is about whether that foundation is enough to carry them smoothly into the post-Guardiola age.