Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca will lead his team against Arsenal in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday. The fixture marks the start of a new chapter following the departure of Pep Guardiola, under whom Maresca previously served as assistant coach during the club's Treble-winning season.
City players spent the summer reflecting on their squad transition and future expectations. Over Guardiola's final two seasons, a tactical rebuild began while the team still secured Champions League qualification, won both domestic cups, and took the Premier League title race against Arsenal to the final week.
"It’s not the change (itself) that worried me," midfielder Matheus Nunes said when reflecting on the managerial transition. "Even ourselves as players, you have to remember what the club has done. When you think about it, it is almost impossible to win six Premier Leagues in 10 years. This is not normal and people forget that."
"Sometimes you have to go through a year or two of not winning to get to the win," Nunes added. "Maybe it will be different (for us), who knows? Maybe it won’t. The club deserves us to try."
Sunday's Community Shield in Cardiff provides Maresca with an early opportunity to claim silverware, a trophy that coaches count toward their totals even if it carries limited weight. City showed sharp attacking play during their pre-season tour, culminating in a 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in Seoul last weekend following hour-long training sessions conducted in heavy heat.
Pre-Season Tour and Extreme Asian Heat
That performance followed a difficult fixture against the K-League All Stars in South Korea, where squad members struggled to breathe in extreme humidity. Club staff noted after the match that half the team could barely cope with conditions that reached an official temperature of 40°C and felt like 45°C.
Defender Josko Gvardiol had to be propped up by a teammate during the game before dropping to his haunches on the field. In the stands, observing staff members held an electric fan in each hand to manage the oppressive heat.
Maresca managed training schedules around the climate at Mokdong Stadium, a second-division venue lacking shade that serves as an ice rink during winter. He selected 7pm training sessions over 9am starts because players slept poorly in Asia due to time differences, making morning work redundant, though the temperature difference proved negligible.
During a public training session in Hong Kong 24 hours before a friendly against Inter, Maresca worked on pressing structures. He briefly considered whether opposition scouts might observe the tactical routines, but decided the potential concern did not matter.
Squad Reshuffle and Leadership Group
City's squad returned on a red-eye flight on Monday morning, but Maresca had to wait to assemble his full group. Six players only rejoined squad training this week following mandatory rest periods after the World Cup.
Further roster changes remain expected before the transfer window closes, a period Maresca endearingly refers to as the "window transfer." Midfielder Rodri is expected to be the most high-profile departure in the coming weeks, while only Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland remain from last season's four-player leadership group.
The timing of the international tournament pushed dealmaking back, leaving uncertainty over incoming and outgoing moves. However, City completed the £116million signing of midfielder Elliot Anderson, who Maresca believes aligns with the club's tactical identity.
"When you change a manager and go for a new one, it’s good to go for a manager with a similar idea," Maresca said of Anderson's arrival. "That way, with the players you have and the players you recruited, they more or less have the same style. Like with the Elliot one, even though I was not here, he still fits in."
Tactical Changes and Goalkeeper Demands
Squad members describe Maresca's tactical approach as similar to Guardiola's philosophy but with key modifications, including altered defensive structures and reduced tactical tinkering. "What he wants is really clear," midfielder Nico Gonzalez said. "The structure is really clear."
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has taken the No 1 shirt following James Trafford's transfer to Leeds United. Because ball distribution is not Donnarumma's primary strength, coaching staff are developing build-up routines that avoid overly elaborate demands on the ball.
One tactical adjustment involves building play with three defenders instead of two, providing greater defensive cover against errors and extra passing options. Donnarumma has been completing extra post-training drills with assistant coaches Richard Wright and Michele De Bernardin, repeatedly practice-clipping 30 to 40-yard passes into wide areas.
The need for those drills was highlighted against Atletico Madrid when Donnarumma passed directly to an opposition player inside City's third, causing Maresca to place his head in his hands before the goalkeeper recovered to save the shot.
Maresca previously conducted specialized individual drills with Rico Lewis and Phil Foden during his time as Guardiola's assistant, and Foden continues to play post-session games with the manager. "From the first week, the messaging was very direct, very honest," Lewis said.
Maresca now faces his first competitive test on Sunday against Arsenal in Cardiff, viewing the Community Shield as an immediate chance for silverware as his tenure begins.
