Following an all-time great’s epic 10-year stint is an unenviable task, so Manchester City believe that replacing Pep Guardiola with the similarly minded Enzo Maresca offers a smooth transition.

In late June, a compensation package for the Italian was finally agreed with former club Chelsea, allowing work to get underway.

Let’s see what the 46-year-old’s arrival could mean for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.

CAREER SO FAR

As seen in our report for his Chelsea appointment, Maresca moved to England as a teenager. And, in 2000, he made the cliched move from second-tier West Bromwich Albion to Juventus.

The midfielder formed a decent career at the likes of Fiorentina, Sevilla, Olympiacos and Malaga, winning Serie A and two UEFA Cups along the way.

Above: Enzo Maresca’s league record as a manager

At some point, Maresca caught the coaching bug. A spell on the staff at Ascoli and Sevilla led to time as Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United assistant.

Then, Guardiola hired him to take charge of Man City’s Elite Development Squad for 2020/21, where a talent pool featuring Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Felix Nmecha, James Trafford, Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap won the Premier League 2 title.

It persuaded Parma to hand Maresca his first senior managerial position. Four Serie B wins from 13 occasions ensured he was gone by November, so Pep brought him back as a first-team assistant.

In summer 2023, Leicester City trusted him to plot an immediate bounce-back, following top-flight relegation. Winning 13 of the first 14 matches meant they were able to withstand a big wobble between February and April. The Foxes stumbled over the line as 97-point champions.

Chelsea liked what they saw and signed him up for five years. A great start had them second by Christmas, though a run of two wins in 10 caused damage. Yet some good late form took them from seventh to fourth place, alongside Conference League and Club World Cup trophies.

Last season, the Blues were second after Gameweek 12. But one win from seven followed, partly causing his New Year’s Day departure. There was just too much tension between Maresca and the owners regarding his role’s limitations, plus the amount of input coming from other club departments.

Chelsea’s explosive Monday statement didn’t even mention Maresca by name, but spoke of having his head turned last autumn. Once he heard murmurings of an upcoming Man City vacancy, the Italian told them of “his strong desire to succeed Guardiola.”

PREFERRED TACTICS

Simply put, his principles and style are the same as Guardiola’s, hence the appointment. Patient passing, an emphasis on positional play, and the preference for a 3-2-5 set-up that aims to avoid transitions whenever an opponent wins the ball.

“Probably the reason why I’m here is also because the idea from the Club is to maintain the same style of football, the same idea and we’re going to try to do the most important thing in football which is [to] try to win, [and] to achieve important things. Then the day-by-day is also going to dictate the way I will work.” – Enzo Maresca, speaking to the Man City website

During Maresca’s period at Chelsea, their data was similar to Man City when it came to high possession, long average sequence times and having a low percentage of passes going forward.

Above: An Opta graph comparing playing styles during Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea days

Yet Pep’s final season gave some love to dribbling and fast breaks, rather than just safe ball-keeping.

Maresca sees football as a game of chess – indicated by his ‘Football and Chess’ thesis at Coverciano coaching school.

So are there some differences in their philosophies?

With high and wide wingers at Stamford Bridge, he’d ask left-back Marc Cucurella to push forward, but centrally. Pep soon mirrored this using Nico O’Reilly. Also, Maresca’s Chelsea were more aggressive pressers and favoured being man-to-man here, rather than sitting off zonally.

SHOULD FPL MANAGERS INVEST?

We already know the 2026/27 schedule, and our Fixture Ticker believes Man City have the fourth-best run between Gameweeks 1 and 7. Although Manchester United and Liverpool trips sit between the hostings of Coventry City, Sunderland and Ipswich Town.

• READ MORE: Which teams have the worst early fixtures of 2026/27?
• READ MORE: Jump on, jump off – Best FPL fixture runs for all 20 clubs

That’s why managers will likely want coverage at both ends of the pitch. Unfortunately, having lots of players at the World Cup means a patched-up squad is going on their Asian tour, which could hint at a slow start.

John Stones and Bernardo Silva aren’t around anymore, but defensive contributions (DefCon) monster Elliot Anderson has signed, suggesting that there’ll be a bit more central physicality. Expect another midfielder to arrive, too.

FPL ASSETS TO CONSIDER

Even if he rises in price, Erling Haaland is set for huge ownership now that Mohamed Salah isn’t around. He was 2025/26’s best for goals (27), points (239), attempts (126), shots on target (59) and more. Regardless of manager, regardless of system, he’s an elite-level forward who is going to get goals.

In midfield, might the propensity for high and wide wingers see Antoine Semenyo become more of an assister? He was the number one midfielder for goals (17), penalty area shots (61) and putting efforts on target (41) last season, but he may have a different remit here.

Assists are exactly Jeremy Doku‘s game, though. A nightmare for defenders with his take-ons (no one attempted more in 2025/26), he seems to fit the mould of what Maresca wants in his wingers.

At the back, everyone fades in comparison to Nico O’Reilly.

The 21-year-old felt essential from Gameweek 26 onwards, contributing a whopping four goals, 20 box shots, 11 attempts on target and seven big chances in his final 10 matches. Add in five clean sheets, and that’s 73 points.

If Maresca maintains Pep’s way of play, with an inverting full-back, O’Reilly will keep showing up close to goal.