Pep Guardiola has said farewell to Manchester City and talk has now turned to how the club will fare without the legendary manager.
On this week's Talking City podcast, Pep Guardiola's farewell was discussed
On this week's Talking City podcast, Pep Guardiola's farewell was discussed
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From returning club legends to a message from Neil Warnock, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City farewell threw up more than its fair share of surprises but was a fitting way to say goodbye to one of the greatest managers the Premier League has ever seen.
With the ticker tape swept up and the bunting back in the cupboard, talk has already turned to what the post-Pep era will look like. Enzo Maresca is set to replace Guardiola in the Etihad hotseat as he seeks to continue the incredible success the Catalan coach has delivered over the past decade.
While City's rivals are licking their lips in the hope of a United-esque drop-off following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, the set-up at the Etihad should ensure no such prediction comes to pass, although the task of following a manager who delivered 20 trophies in 10 years cannot be underestimated.
Our City writers discussed the challenge facing Maresca in the latest episode of the Talking City podcast, with Chief Manchester City Writer Simon Bajkowski confident there will be enough motivation in the squad to prove they are not reliant on Guardiola to deliver success.
"I think there's going to be a sea change but Erling Haaland said at the after party 'We want to win the biggest titles and we didn't win them this year, we want to fight for those titles'. So the players that are still here will be determined to improve on last year," he said.
"Everyone thinks there's going to be a drop-off after Pep - it would be weird if there wasn't - but you've got Enzo Maresca coming in who is determined there won't be, and the players as well, they don't want to be seen as players who are nothing without Pep.
"If we're being honest, a lot of them want to win the World Cup and do as well as they can for their countries, but when they come back there will be a different level of motivation from them."