HLV Enzo Maresca: 'Man City must avoid the same pitfalls as MU and Arsenal'

New head coach Enzo Maresca affirmed that he will establish his own football philosophy at Manchester City, and he is confident in steering the team away from the crisis that struck MU and Arsenal following their departures from legendary tacticians.

During his first press conference as Manchester City's head coach, new manager Enzo Maresca declared that he would build his own football philosophy at the club. At the same time, the Italian tactician expressed confidence in helping the team avoid the crisis that befell MU and Arsenal after they said goodbye to their legendary managers.

Speaking directly about his future direction, Maresca emphasized that he came to the Etihad to write his own story. Although he served as an assistant to Pep Guardiola during the highly successful 2022/23 season, he refused to become a mere copy.

"I am here to do the job my way, implementing the football philosophy I believe in. I do not believe in copying others' methods."

Maresca's views also align with the message that former manager Guardiola once sent to his successor before leaving Man City. The Spanish manager stated that coaching cannot be done by simply "copy and paste," and advised the new coach to stay true to his own nature and identity.

Taking over from Pep Guardiola—who brought 20 trophies in a decade—is an extremely tough challenge for the former Chelsea manager. However, Maresca sees it as a privilege and proactively mentioned the costly lessons from their Premier League rivals.

"History has shown that clubs often struggle after parting ways with a long-serving manager, like MU after Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsenal after Arsène Wenger. That will be the challenge we must overcome to make the right decisions immediately."

Maresca's assessment of the two major rivals is well-founded in reality. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, MU has been mired in over a decade of instability. They have repeatedly changed managers and spent billions on transfers, yet the Premier League trophy has not returned to Old Trafford even once.

Similarly, Arsenal also endured a long period of crisis after parting ways with Arsène Wenger. It took many years of searching for direction before the Gunners restored their competitive status.

Maresca is fully aware that he is stepping into a similar situation. However, the manager who won the FIFA Club World Cup is confident that the stable operational machinery at the Etihad will serve as a springboard to help him overcome this pressure. This is the greatest support for the Italian strategist to confidently maintain Man City's top status.

Aware of the fans' expectations, the new head coach affirmed that winning trophies is a mandatory requirement. He is fully confident in his own abilities, having achieved success at Leicester and Chelsea.

Nevertheless, instead of putting pressure on himself with distant goals at the end of the season, the Italian tactician chooses to focus entirely on his daily work.

"I don't think about May or June. What I care about now is tomorrow's training session, how to develop young players, and improve the squad day by day."