CORNERFLICK
Enzo Maresca faced the media in a press conference.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City's new head coach, addressed the media for the first time at the Etihad Stadium. The Italian was asked about succeeding Pep Guardiola and whether City could suffer the same post-manager decline experienced by Manchester United and Arsenal. However, Maresca insisted the Citizens would not follow the same path after Guardiola's eventual departure.
"I've said many times that, in my opinion, Pep is probably the greatest coach of the last 20 or 25 years in world football. Replacing him is an enormous challenge, but it's also a huge honour. Historically, clubs that have worked with the same manager for many years have often struggled after he left. Manchester United experienced that after Sir Alex Ferguson, and Arsenal went through something similar after Arsène Wenger."
Maresca went on to explain why he believes City are well positioned to avoid a similar downturn.
"It's a challenge we have to embrace from day one. In my view, the most important factor is the club's structure. Manchester City have had only three managers in the last 17 years, and that's far from normal. That stability gives me confidence that we can continue to perform at the highest level. We can carry on the journey that began 14 or 15 years ago—from Roberto Mancini to Manuel Pellegrini, and then Pep Guardiola's remarkable 10-year spell."
Having previously worked at Manchester City as an academy coach and later as one of Guardiola's assistants, Maresca also described his appointment as a homecoming.
"I know the structure of this club extremely well. I've known the people here and the way the club is run for many years. When a club changes its manager only three times in almost 20 years, it shows there's a strong structure in place that gives projects the time they need. From the moment Manchester City contacted me, I had absolutely no doubts about accepting the offer."
Chelsea had previously stated that they were disappointed with the manner of Maresca's departure in January. In addition to the £17 million compensation paid by City, Maresca also made a personal payment to his former club. Responding to questions about Chelsea, the Italian said:
"I feel like I've come back home, and I've had a fantastic feeling since day one. I have wonderful memories from my time at both Leicester City and Chelsea. I believe we did a very good job at both clubs and built a clear identity. But now my only focus is Manchester City, and I have nothing more to add."
In recent weeks, Rodri has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid. Maresca confirmed that the Spain international is scheduled to undergo back surgery on Monday, while stressing that every top manager would want to keep a player of his calibre.
"It's completely normal for top players to be surrounded by transfer speculation, so it's not something that concerns me. Rodri is a World Cup winner and one of the best players in the world. Of course, every manager would love to have him in their squad. Right now, the most important thing is for him to have his surgery, recover properly, complete his rehabilitation, and then return to the team."