Ex-Man City captain Kyle Walker believes his former club have been “clever” in appointing Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor.
The Italian was the assistant manager during the historic treble-winning season, and while he still has plenty to prove, Walker says the fact that Maresca is familiar with the club should work in his favour:
“Bringing Enzo Maresca in as manager is a clever appointment by Manchester City. I think the big point about Enzo joining is he knows the philosophy of the club, he knows the ins and outs, and knows what it means to the supporters. That’s important.
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“But he still needs to prove that he can be the right man for the job. And Pep Guardiola’s boots are tough boots to follow, I can assure you of that.”
Succeeding Guardiola is not for the faint-hearted
No matter who was appointed to replace Pep Guardiola, they were always going to face an uphill challenge of living up to the Catalan’s legacy.
By hiring Maresca, the Cityzens have decided to go with continuity, rather than heading in a radically different direction.
There will be differences between Maresca’s and Guardiola’s style of play, but City will still be playing on the front foot, with a focus on pressing and possession.
Maresca has 2 qualities that will help him excel at Man City
The 46-year-old showed during his time at Chelsea that he can go toe-to-toe with the very best managers in the game. It may not have been in the Champions League, but the 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final last summer showed that he can outsmart even top coaches like Luis Enrique.
Maresca’s man management is also believed to be excellent, with Walker describing him as a “bridge” between the players and Guardiola during his time at the club. The first-team squad felt comfortable talking to him about selection decisions and other matters. It will, however, be interesting to see how he makes the leap to managing one of the leading contenders for the Premier League title.
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