Former Chelsea boss has already agreed to replace Pep Guardiola
English football is about to change completely. That is because Pep Guardiola seems to have decided that the time has come to step away. The news broke just a few minutes back and an official announcement is expected over the weekend, if not before that. With Manchester City still in a title race, perhaps that is why nothing has been made public yet. It is very possible that the legendary Spaniard’s last hurrah might have come against Chelsea as he won the FA Cup.
Of course, the rumours had been doing the rounds for a while. Now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Guardiola.
It just does not feel like there is a club big enough out there for him at the moment. A return to Barcelona is not on the cards with Hansi Flick settled in that post. Would he like to manage in the Serie A or Ligue 1? Feels a bit unlikely.
On the other hand, it looks like his replacement has already been lined up. And it is a familiar face for Chelsea fans. According to talkSPORT, Enzo Maresca has already agreed to succeed Guardiola as Manchester City manager.
Will Enzo Maresca succeed at Manchester City?
It feels like the Manchester City job is one Maresca has always had his eyes on. He was an assistant to Guardiola there for a while. And his success at Chelsea has made it possible for the club to view him as a viable answer.
Obviously, he will have big shoes to fill. In my opinion, as big as the ones Sir Alex Ferguson left behind at Manchester United. And we all know how things have played out at Old Trafford since then?
Manchester City have the structure in place. They are much better placed for a situation like this. But you can never be certain about these things. Will Maresca be the next Guardiola? Or the next David Moyes?
Maresca vs Alonso could be a rivalry from next season
It is quite clear that Maresca overdelivered during his stint at Chelsea. Just look at how poorly the team has done since he has left. That being said, that does not mean that he was a flawless manager.
He did have a struggle against teams playing the low block. The Italian seemed at his best outfoxing teams that were ready to go toe-to-toe with Chelsea. The 3-0 wins over PSG and Barcelona are perfect examples of this.
But if he wants to succeed at Manchester City, he will have to deliver against all kinds of teams. It remains to be seen how capable he is.
Also, let’s not forget that Chelsea have brought in a very capable manager themselves in the form of Xabi Alonso. This could be a new rivalry in the Premier League from next season, especially given how Maresca’s time at the club ended.
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade.
His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow.
Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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