City are aware that moving on from an iconic head coach can be difficult - with Manchester United and Arsenal having previously found it tricky tofind suitable replacements for Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger respectively.
Asked if there are any fears at the Etihad that similar issues may be endured, with Maresca operating under a sizeable shadow, Lescott - who won two Premier League titles with City - added: “I think the clubs are slightly different. I think the way the game has changed now, and it's not just the Man City, Man United thing, I think even Arsenal now, I think City understand, and I think most teams have learnt from the Manchester United transition.
“I think they were heavily reliant on Sir Alex, and rightly so because he's had so much success, and the club haven't allowed Pep to control every factor of the club. He controls a lot, he has a lot of say in a lot of things, but I'm sure, and I'm aware that there's a lot of things he doesn't involve himself in, and the club don't involve him, because there was preparing for life after Pep.
“The day was always going to come where he wasn't going to be the manager, so I'm confident they're in a better place to make this transition.
“Does it mean they're going to go on and win the league? There's no guarantee. I still believe Arsenal are in the best place to do that, out of all the teams, due to the squad they have, it's pretty much the same, the coach has been there for the longest period of time, they're used to playing in the Champions League.
“So if you're looking at Liverpool have a new coach, Chelsea new coach, Man United are new to the Champions League again, so there's so many factors that other clubs are having to deal with in regards to the ones that we deem the favourites. I think Arsenal are the best placed for all them factors.”