Maresca admits Man City need time ahead of Bournemouth opener

Enzo Maresca has insisted he can replicate Manchester City's success under Pep Guardiola if given time to manage the “big change” at the club.

The Italian takes charge of his first Premier League game as City boss when Bournemouth visit the Etihad on Sunday. He was appointed to replace Guardiola after the Spaniard resigned at the end of last season.

Guardiola won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles, during a successful decade at the Etihad. Filling the void left by Guardiola is a heavy task for the former Chelsea coach, who arrives amid significant on-field changes.

Rodri, John Stones and Bernardo Silva have all departed, while Savinho is set to join Tottenham. City have not won a title since 2024 and finished seven points behind Arsenal last season, who beat them 3-0 in the Community Shield last weekend to underline the challenge facing Maresca.

“When there are many changes, not just the manager but Rodri, John, Bernardo also leave. It's a big change, but it doesn't mean we're not ready to compete,” Maresca said in a press conference on Friday.

“It's a context, not an excuse. We need to be ready; I want to compete. The reason I came here is because I want to try to win trophies and continue what this club has represented over the last 15 years. Right now things are a bit complicated because we only started a month ago. But the intention is to compete as soon as possible.”

Maresca admitted he would face immediate pressure if City do not start the season well. “When we win, the fans are happy. When we lose, people are sad. The important thing is to win because everyone is happier, but certainly we will win,” he said.

Maresca is rebuilding the City squad while the season is ongoing, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush reportedly set to join Tottenham. The future of midfielder Nico Gonzalez has also been questioned, while Maresca has been linked with Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi, Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez and Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister.

Asked whether the departures have disrupted his plans, Maresca said: “It's quite clear when a player wants to leave, for whatever reason, it's very difficult to convince them to stay or change their mind. That happened with Rodri, and the same is happening with Savinho; he told me from day one that he wanted to leave. So we are waiting.”

On Egyptian forward Marmoush joining Tottenham, Maresca said: “I don't know. Omar is still here. The situation is different from Savinho. We'll see what happens.”

Having worked with Fernandez at Chelsea, Maresca knows the Argentine midfielder's qualities well but declined to comment on a potential move for the player valued at £120 million (around $164 million). “Enzo is a Chelsea player, and I won't talk about players who are not part of my squad, first because it's disrespectful, and second because I don't like other managers talking about our players,” he said.

“I'm not worried, nor do I care. From day one, we knew exactly what we need. We're working with the club's sporting director; there are 11 days left until the window closes, and many things can happen.”