Manchester City 2026-27 season preview: What to expect in a post-Guardiola world
Manchester City are ready to begin the post-Pep Guardiola era after 10 years of sparkling football and trophies, but there are plenty of questions yet to be answered.
Enzo Maresca is imprinting his style of play: the former Chelsea manager having been identified by City as someone who can bring similar ideals to Guardiola but also put his own stamp on things.
The 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday alarmed many observers and, though it is too early to judge, there is still some uncertainty around how things will pan out across the first weeks of the new season, at the very least. After all, this is a new manager working with players who have only recently returned from the World Cup, and there is still a lot of transfer business to be done.
At boardroom level, City are determined to give Maresca what he needs to ensure the good times continue at the Etihad. This is how things are looking with just three days to go before their Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday.
What are the expectations inside the club?
City are realistic in the sense that a lot has changed this summer but they do expect the club to challenge and, as Guardiola would put it, to “be there” when the titles are decided.
City could win a trophy or they could win nothing, but it will be evident whether they are on the right track or not based on how they compete and how players perform.
Nobody will pick up on those vibes more than the executives around the club, who will ultimately decide how things are going.
Who have they signed?
So far, the only senior player to sign is Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116million ($153m). It is a major piece of business and there are high hopes for what the 23-year-old England midfielder can achieve. But a lot more needs to be done.
Record signing Elliot Anderson in action against Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
What is their transfer priority before the window closes?
City have to strengthen the midfield after the departure of Rodri to Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah, and Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid.
With Nico Gonzalez, Savinho and Omar Marmoush also possibly leaving, they are working on a late-window squad overhaul.
Young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed for Morocco at the World Cup, has been a target all window; as has Enzo Fernandez, although Chelsea are playing hardball over the Argentina midfielder and City did not want to match their £120million asking price, which may now have increased.
Maresca is very keen to reunite with Fernandez, who wants to leave the west London club, but there is a long way to go.
And, on Thursday, The Athletic reported that City had made enquiries to Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton, but were informed the 22-year-old midfielder is not for sale this summer.
What else is new?
It feels like basically everything.
Replacing a manager who had such a seismic impact on the club over the course of a decade and losing three players — in Rodri, Bernardo and John Stones — who were so pivotal for much of that period has a tangible impact on everything. The playing style will be different and there is a new man at the helm, so it all feels new.
Rodri has joined Barcelona after seven trophy-laden seasons at the Etihad (Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
What’s the biggest lesson they learnt last season?
There may not be much from last season that is still relevant given the changes, but winning two domestic trophies and keeping the title race alive for so long suggests there is a lot of potential in the team.
A few more tweaks could put them in a strong position, but the midfield changes are significant.
Who’s been the best player in pre-season?
Antoine Semenyo was thrilling in wide positions, particularly on the left wing.
The 26-year-old has spoken of his excitement to play for Maresca because of how the Italian likes his teams to generate dribbling opportunities for wingers. If that continues throughout the season, especially with Jeremy Doku to come back into the team, then it could be an exciting one — and Semenyo could have a huge part to play.
Antoine Semenyo has been a livewire in pre-season (May James/AFP via Getty Images)
What are they worried about?
Other than the overall uncertainty of how things feel without Guardiola and Rodri, the manner of the defeat against Arsenal means a lot of concerns came to the surface quickly, including their build-up and a lack of bite in midfield. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma looked poor and Ruben Dias came in for a lot of criticism — both are supposed to be pillars of the team.
It is early days for the Maresca era, though, with only a handful of games under their belt. Even if things seem bound to drop off after a manager as influential as Guardiola leaves, it would be foolish to get carried away on the back of an inferior performance in the Community Shield.
How’s the manager feeling?
After Sunday, maybe not great, but he has been very relaxed all summer — a combination of welcoming and stern with the players as he tries to get his ideas across.
Erling Haaland struggled in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Asked at every press conference and interview so far about the “impossible job” of replacing Guardiola, the 46-year-old uses the same line: that it is a privilege. While City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak insists the Italian is excited by a challenge that would scare many.
What’s the percentage chance of Maresca seeing out the season?
One-hundred per cent.
Bold? It would have to be an extremely dire situation for City to even consider sacking the manager so soon.
Maybe this is easy to say now, but even if they finished outside the Champions League places, I believe they would back him going into the following campaign.
Three storylines to watch ahead of this season
George Edwards and Rachael Tinde
I wouldn’t be surprised if…
This is difficult because a lot of the games could go either way, given how City’s approach is shaping up; a lot of results could come down to individual battles on the pitch in one-vs-one situations, meaning less control, and therefore the risk of damaging defeats, but there is also the potential for thrilling victories.
If City can leverage the quality they have in those scenarios, I would not be surprised if they win the Premier League this year or next and enjoy a strong run in the Champions League.
What is their strongest XI?
(4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovacic, Anderson; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.