Enzo Maresca outlines Man City silverware ambitions in first press conference as manager

Enzo Maresca outlines Man City silverware ambitions in first press conference as manager Maresca says Man City are a club that “needs to win titles” but cites focus on the day-by-day Italian says the club’s structure is different to Man Utd or Arsenal owing to long-serving managers Ex Chelsea boss says he watched all of last season’s games to understand City’s dip before joining Enzo Maresca has addressed his title ambitions, his management philosophy and Manchester City’s recent dip in his first press conference as the club’s new head coach. The 46-year-old spoke candidly about the expectations that come with managing one of European football’s most decorated clubs, while setting out the philosophy that underpinned his success at both Leicester City and Chelsea – a relentless focus on the present rather than the destination. Maresca was formally confirmed as City’s new manager following a protracted compensation saga with Chelsea, and is now tasked with restoring the title-winning consistency that defined Pep Guardiola ‘s decade at the Etihad Stadium, during which the club won six Premier League titles and the Champions League . He arrives with a track record of delivering – winning the Championship with Leicester and the Premier League with Chelsea – and used his first major media appearance to signal that the same expectations he carried into those roles apply fully here. Enzo Maresca outlines Manchester City’s transfer ambitions after £116M Elliot Anderson signing Maresca: The target is to win titles but I love the day-by-day! Maresca was asked directly what success would look like in his first season, and offered an answer that spoke to both the demands of the role and the philosophy that has driven him throughout his career. “Listen, I think with these kind of clubs, you need to win titles,” said Maresca. “But if you just focus on the final target, I think you miss all the previous parts. So I’m a manager that loves the day-by-day, I love to do my job, I love to spend and prepare sessions, spend time with the players, and then at the end, for sure the target is to win titles with this club.” Asked whether City are better positioned than Manchester United and Arsenal were following their own managerial transitions after long-serving managers, Maresca pushed back gently but firmly on the comparison. “I don’t think so, because probably at that time after – I don’t remember exactly how many years with Sir Alex – I think the club was in place,” said Maresca. “So I don’t think so now that we have a different structure compared to Man United or compared to Arsenal with Arsene.” I’m thinking now and tomorrow, we’ll see day-by-day: Maresca On City’s recent dip in form towards the end of Guardiola’s tenure, Maresca was honest about the limits of what he could assess from the outside – while making clear that he had done the work to build his understanding before arriving. “When you are not inside the changing room or not spending the day-by-day with players, it’s very complicated or very difficult to understand the reason why something is not happening,” said Maresca. “I don’t know. Since two months ago, when there was a real connection with the club, I started to watch all last season’s games, but again to have a clear idea, you need to spend the day-by-day with the players and to understand why something is not going to happen.” Pressed on whether failing to win the Premier League in his first season would constitute a failure, the Italian did not flinch – but again reached instinctively for the process rather than the result. “Again, at the moment, I’m here knowing that this is a club that needs to win titles,” said Maresca. “Fortunately, at the two previous clubs I was at Leicester and Chelsea, we delivered titles in both clubs. “And I’m joining this club thinking we need to win titles. But again, I’m not thinking about May and June, I’m thinking now and tomorrow, with 20 young players how we can improve them, and then we’ll see day-by-day.” How Enzo Maresca will opt to differ from Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager What does Maresca’s philosophy tell us about his Man City approach? The most revealing aspect of Maresca’s first press conference was not what he said about targets, but how consistently he returned to the process of daily work as the mechanism through which those targets are reached. His reference to watching all of City’s games from last season over the two months before he formally began work underlines an appetite for preparation that mirrors the approach of the very manager he has been asked to succeed, and suggests the club have not replaced one meticulous obsessive with anything less. The acknowledgement that 20 young players in the current pre-season group represent his immediate focus rather than the Premier League table in May speaks to a grounded realism about the work that lies between now and then – and a confidence that the process, followed faithfully, will produce the outcomes the club demands. For director of football Hugo Viana and the club’s hierarchy, hearing a manager speak with this combination of clarity about expectations and discipline about method will confirm everything that made Maresca their choice to lead Manchester City into its next era.