Why Maresca? What City fans can expect from Guardiola's successor

Image source, Manchester City Image caption, Enzo Maresca has signed a three-year deal as Manchester City boss By Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter Published 3 minutes ago By Shamoon Hafez Football reporter After three years away, Enzo Maresca has returned to Manchester City . The Italian, who was Pep Guardiola's assistant during City's Treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, has succeeded the Spaniard as City's new head coach on a three-year deal. The former Chelsea manager's appointment underlines the 46-year-old's rapid rise in management, having only taken his first head coach's role in 2021. He now faces the unenviable task of following Guardiola - who won 20 trophies in his 10 years at City. Maresca has called the job a "huge challenge". "Probably the reason why I am here is also because the idea from the club is to maintain the same style of football, the same idea," he said. "And we are going to try to do the most important thing in football which is try to win, to achieve important things. Then the day-by-day is also going to dictate the way I will work." Guardiola had previously described Maresca as "one of the best managers in the world" but what has convinced the club's hierarchy? New Man City boss Maresca to pay compensation to Chelsea Published 33 minutes ago Why genius Guardiola is the greatest coach of all time Published 22 May Why Maresca was Man City's chosen one Maresca is part Italian, part Spanish in his approach to coaching and life. His Spanish influence stems from his family, and his exposure to Guardiola's Barcelona while he was at Sevilla and Malaga during the peak years of his playing career. Facing a Barcelona side regarded by some as the greatest club team of all time opened Maresca's eyes to a new way of playing, and helped spark the trend for technical, possession-based teams dominating at the highest level. In Spain, Maresca also met his trusted assistant, Willy Caballero, and his children were born there. Spanish is now the main language spoken at home within his large family. It was also his "football father", former Manchester City and West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini, who identified during Maresca's playing days that he had the qualities to become a coach. This grounding helps explain the similarities between Maresca and Guardiola. Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has been open in his assessment of Enzo Maresca, with the Italian returning to the club following two previous stints - first with the academy and then alongside Guardiola as his assistant coach. Khaldoon said: "He is one of Pep's assistants at one point in his career so definitely - he will tell you - he is going to have taken a lot of inspiration in the philosophy of Pep, and you see that in his football. "But he has also evolved his own philosophy. I think Enzo brings a lot to this club." The pair are known to be in regular contact and Maresca would not have been chosen without Guardiola's knowledge, according to those close to them. It is a