Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is working out what his squad will look like for the coming season after replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea walks on the pitch after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on December 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Incoming Man City boss Enzo Maresca has some key decisions to make(Image: Getty Images)
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Pep Guardiola was able to call on some of the most talented footballers in the world at Manchester City, but the quality he craved above all else was mindset. A number of players over the years found to their cost that being able to win a game on the pitch wasn't always enough to stay in the team.
Some had more leeway than others, but the basic premise was the same: everybody had to earn their spot in the team every single day, and the wrong attitude to training could undo a matchwinning performance.
The former City manager used to talk about good faces and bad faces. For anybody that wasn't in the starting XI, the manager needed to see the right response of helping their teammates while doing everything possible to push their way into contention.
Alex Zinchenko was the best example of this, refusing to leave the club even when offers were accepted for him in the transfer market because he was determined to stay at the Etihad. He would do extra gym sessions if he wasn't selected and ended up playing a major role in City's success for several years.
Nathan Ake was a similar success story, somebody who was arguably never seen as one of City's top two centre-backs yet won four league titles in six years and was an integral part of the Treble team including starts in the Champions League final that season. The Dutch defender was never the star of the side, but he was vital to the squad.
Ake's departure to Fenerbahce opens up a significant position at City that Enzo Maresca must fill. The problem for him is that nobody wants to be the fifth choice centre-back in a side where only two will play every week, it just happens to be essential for any club that wants to challenge in four competitions.
Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrate with the Premier League trophy
Nathan Ake and Manu Akanji both worked their way up in the Manchester City defence(Image: Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)
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It is a role that requires fierce ambition; Manu Akanji arrived for that spot in 2022 and also ended up starting the Champions League final after working his way up. However, it also needs that good face in training with the patience that it may take time to get significant minutes.
City have Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov locked in as a formidable four in the middle of their defence, so it is going to take something special for any player to force their way in. With the club considering loan offers for Max Alleyne, it looks like Vitor Reis could take the fifth spot.
The Brazilian has been itching to get into the first team squad since he joined in January 2025 and had eyes on a return to Manchester from the moment he went out on loan to Girona last season. Despite the Spanish side's relegation, he impressed and has been putting in more work to catch Maresca's eye in pre-season.
Even if it what the coach and the club want though, it is still a big ask for Reis to choose to start as fifth in the pecking order when a number of clubs around Europe would happily start him from the off. Somebody has to do it though, and Ake and others have shown that the rewards for being so bold could be enormous.