Five Big Questions for Man City Ahead of the 2026-27 Season

For the first time in a decade, Manchester City enters a new season without Pep Guardiola at the helm. The departure of the Spanish manager closes the most successful chapter in the club's history, featuring six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, and the transformation of City into a dominant force in English football.

Successor Enzo Maresca inherits a squad led by striker Erling Haaland and brimming with talent, but faces the huge challenge of following a legendary manager. City kicks off their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.

How will Maresca succeed Guardiola?

Maresca takes over a club shaped around one manager's philosophy for a decade. Pundits have drawn comparisons to Manchester United's decline after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Having served as Guardiola's assistant during the treble-winning season and later building his own reputation at Leicester and Chelsea, Maresca's appointment is not a complete gamble. His appeal lies in continuity—City were not seeking a radical departure from Guardiola's footballing philosophy.

The expectation is that City will remain familiar in possession, but Maresca must also quickly stamp his own identity. He is also known for occasional friction with players and staff, adding a layer of risk to a job already managing enormous expectations with a squad that finished second last season.

While City's hierarchy and fans anticipate an immediate title challenge, Maresca's first competitive match ended in disaster as City were thrashed 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield last Sunday.

Who replaces Rodri?

Rodri has long been the heartbeat of City's midfield with his passing, positioning, and defensive intelligence. He helped Spain win this year's World Cup and claimed the tournament's Golden Ball. His move to Barcelona is therefore a major loss.

City have reinforced the midfield with the £116 million ($153 million) signing of England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, bringing energy, ball-winning ability, and depth to the center of the park. But Anderson tends to be a progressive box-to-box midfielder rather than a direct replacement for Rodri.

City are expected to pursue 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, though he is raw. Ultimately, football has few better defensive midfielders than Rodri, and he is irreplaceable—City may have to spread his duties among promising youngsters and hope it works.

Can they fix game management issues?

City's title challenge last season unravelled partly due to basic game management—they dropped 17 points from winning positions.

Maresca's relative pragmatism could help address that. But with John Stones, Bernardo Silva, and Nathan Ake all departing this summer, whether the new personnel truly fit a more controlled style is one of the season's most specific tactical questions.

Is Haaland's individual brilliance enough?

Haaland remains City's central attacking threat, and few defenses in the league can cope when he and City click. But a title challenge built primarily around one striker has proven fragile before, including for City themselves last season.

Omar Marmoush is decent but not Haaland's class, so Maresca needs to find ways to make City's attack more varied.

Does the World Cup hangover complicate matters?

City sent a significant portion of their squad deep into the World Cup, including Haaland and Doku, with six first-team players still active in the final week of the tournament. That leaves Maresca with a smaller squad than ideal for the first weeks of pre-season, compounded by a unsettled transfer window.

City certainly looked sluggish and devoid of energy in the Community Shield compared to a fresher, sharper Arsenal. "I don't know if it's physical, we have a lot of players who were at the World Cup," Maresca said. "After the first goal, the reaction was good, but after the second it became more complicated."