Will Enzo Maresca be a ‘successful Man City manager’? Bold prediction made by former Blues star as Pep Guardiola’s successor faces immediate trophy pressure

Having previously worked as an assistant to Guardiola, Maresca got the best possible coaching schooling before deciding to step out on his own. He guided Leicester to the Championship title in 2024, prior to savouring Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs with Chelsea the following year.

His stint at Stamford Bridge was cut short in January 2026, following a butting of heads with the Blues’ board, but his stock remained high enough for City to come calling once it was confirmed that a prominent seat in their dugout would be opening up.

Following in the footsteps of Guardiola could be considered an unenviable - and almost impossible - task, but Maresca is convinced that he can keep the good times rolling in Manchester. Defeat was suffered in the Community Shield curtain-raiser ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, but said season has been opened with three successive Premier League wins.

Alongside a bid for top-flight title glory, another Champions League adventure will be opened against Porto on Tuesday, while there are Carabao Cup and FA Cup quests to come. Maresca is expected to get his hands on at least one piece of major silverware.

Asked if City’s new boss will face some uncomfortable questions if tangible success proves elusive, Hamann - speaking in association with ToonieBet - told GOAL: “Yes, I think he will face pressure. And the other thing is that it got to a stage for City that people just expect it.

“And even with the League Cup or the FA Cup, people say, ‘well, it's City and obviously they spend a lot of money and Pep is there’. But you can't take things for granted because there's another 20 teams, 19 teams in the Premier League that want to knock you off your perch.

“Obviously, in the cup competitions, it's a chance for the lower league teams or some of the teams lower in the division. It's not easy to win trophies. In years gone by, the League Cup was sometimes, for a lot of years, the League Cup was a cup where the second team or the second XI or the bench players played. But it's so hard to win trophies now.

“There was a cup game with Chelsea [against Luton]. Even [Xabi] Alonso, I looked at the line-up and I couldn't believe the line-up he picked because there were probably six, seven, eight of the starters in the Premier League. That's how serious they take it now, so you can't take it for granted.

“And if you follow a manager who's been so influential and for a lot of players, they have to thank him most. It's been fantastic stories. Obviously, there was the odd one like [Jack] Grealish or [Phil] Foden, who probably didn't benefit from Pep as much as they thought they would.”

Ex-City midfielder Hamann went on to say, with Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson acting as warning signs for the Etihad Stadium ownership group: “To follow Guardiola, sometimes it's nearly impossible.

“We've seen what happened in Arsenal with Wenger, we've seen what happened with Fergie at Manchester United. The managers coming after these guys found it really hard. Manchester United, to this day, they haven't found one. We're going back, what, 10 years now?

“Now we see Wenger was different than Arteta, but Arteta was on the verge of getting sacked probably two or three times. Now they've got the ship in order, they're successful. They're not playing well, but they're successful, they're efficient.

“I don't want to say he's on a hiding to nothing, but hugely, if you ask me now, will he be successful? Will he be a successful City manager? I strongly tend towards, unfortunately, no.”

City have not been blowing domestic rivals away at the start of the new season - a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace aside - with Bournemouth seen off after falling behind on the opening weekend, while a solitary effort from Erling Haaland did for Frank Lampard’s Coventry last time out.

After facing Portuguese opposition in European action, the Blues will then head to Old Trafford on Sunday for a meeting with arch-rivals United in the first Manchester derby date of 2026-27. That contest will provide Maresca with another opportunity in which to prove his credentials.