Maresca’s office swap with Guardiola signals a new Man City era
Enzo Maresca, the newly appointed Manchester City manager, has moved into the former Pep Guardiola office after a dinner with the former boss in Barcelona; the story was published at 07:00 BST on 11 August 2026 and updated two minutes later by JACK GAUGHAN. The move marks a symbolic handover as Maresca prepares to lead the club.
Barcelona dinner shapes City reset
The office, once the manager’s private space, has been converted into a meeting room but still carries the aura of the man who said a teary farewell three months ago. Maresca chose the space previously occupied by Pep Lijnders rather than Guardiola, signalling a literal reset he has been preaching during pre‑season in Asia.
Guardiola and Maresca dined in Barcelona the day before the Italian arrived in the north‑west, sharing bottles of Sassicaia while the former outlined how City stars react when they are dropped. Guardiola’s rundown covered personalities more than tactics, noting that some players become morose and sulk when not picked.
Seoul heat tests new regime
During a training stop in Seoul, Maresca’s iPhone pinged safety alerts as the temperature ‘felt like’ 45 °C during a win over the K‑League All Stars; he only slept at 4 am and downed two espressos, a third on the way. He described the experience as a chance to see things for himself, while still keeping Guardiola’s insights on standby.
Man City stars Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki are set to rejoin the squad in Manchester this week, with Arsenal awaiting City in the Community Shield on Sunday and Rodri due back on Friday. Barcelona could finalise a deal by then, adding further intrigue to the early weeks of Maresca’s tenure.
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Man‑to‑man tactics and AI
Haaland was among the first to contact Maresca after the summer’s “worst kept secret” was confirmed; the Norwegian will act as a key lieutenant but will not be first‑choice captain because he scores “way too many goals”. Maresca recalled a rule from his Leicester and Chelsea days that the captain must come to the bench for instructions after a goal.
Assistant Danny Walker, an academy coach turned senior staff member, provides extra work at the end of sessions; Maresca praised his multilingual crew, noting that he himself speaks French. Both men have taken AI masterclasses – one on general AI and another on technical applications – although Maresca admits he cannot yet explain the basics.
The new manager’s focus is on tweaking the system to counter opponents who employ man‑to‑man pressure, a tactic he studied over six months after resigning from Chelsea. He cited examples such as Newcastle’s 6‑1 loss to Barcelona and Chelsea’s defeat to PSG, arguing that set‑pieces are not the priority against teams like Arsenal.
“I know people will compare it to Pep after ten games,” Maresca said, adding that Guardiola remains “the best manager in the world over the last 20 years”. He sees the comparison as a privilege rather than pressure, and looks forward to guiding Manchester City in this uncharted territory.