Before the Champions League match against Real on Wednesday, Guardiola admits he would not have kept his job as Real coach if he had delivered like last season at Manchester City. It was a season in which City struggled, finished third in the Premier League and also lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace. This season, it is a sparklingly obvious and battle-ready City manager who has got himself and the team back on the title track. The question City management and supporters have been asking themselves in recent years is who on earth can replace the football genius Guardiola and lead City on top in the long run? Now it is reported that the answer is already in the Premier League.
Rather, at rival Chelsea. Because according to The Athletic , Enzo Maresca has been singled out as one of the top candidates to replace Guardiola when this happens. The Italian lifted Chelsea back to the Champions League ticket last season, leading the London club all the way to the giant prize as the winner of the Club World Cup this summer. Then it has been a bit bumpy, with expectations from Chelsea and the supporters of fighting for the biggest titles. Last week, Maresca stated he had been through “his toughest 48 hours as Chelsea manager” in which “people had lost faith in him”.
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Nevertheless, Chelsea is still in 4th place after 16 Premier League games, 8 points behind Arsenal, 6 behind City, Maresca has a high star on the ball island after the job he has done, first for Leicester, then Chelsea.
The Athletic reports that the Italian is now on the exclusive list of coaches who are considered worthy of replacing Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Guardiola extended last year until the summer of 2027, Maresca has a contract with Chelsea until 2029. Everyone knows that once Guardiola decides enough is enough, City do what it takes to bring in their “chosen one”.
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