Champions League blow, dream Man City start, big Premier League change – Enzo Maresca must take note

Manchester City are still to appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager but he now knows what awaits him next season

Enzo Maresca is set to become Manchester City’s next head coach but the official announcement has not yet arrived(Image: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester City are still waiting to find out who will be their new head coach following Pep Guardiola’s departure at the end of last season. The Catalonian has become a legend at the Etihad Stadium with his name now forever adorning the newly expanded North Stand.

But such is the relentless nature of football, City are already eagerly anticipating his successor. The clear favourite for the job is former Chelsea boss and City assistant Enzo Maresca. He is the Blues’ preferred candidate to replace Guardiola and it is understood the Italian is willing to fill the role vacated by his former colleague.

However, negotiations with Chelsea continue to rumble on, creating an unexpected hiccup for City. Maresca is still expected to be confirmed as the new head coach though and when he does eventually arrive, he will know what fixtures await him once the season begins in August.

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With the fixture list confirmed on Friday morning, Maresca now has a clearer understanding of what lies ahead of him when he eventually arrives at the Etihad Stadium. With that in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at five things he must note before taking the job.

Dream start

As the old cliche goes, no game is ever easy in the Premier League. Last season we saw unfancied teams take points off top clubs despite the obvious gaps in quality. That being said, Maresca will take the start handed to him. The opening three matches should bag City a minimum of seven points.

Bournemouth at home is the first time City have played at the Etihad Stadium on the opening weekend since Guardiola’s Premier League debut. The atmosphere should be electric that day and the Blues will be fancied to do well with a home advantage even if Bournemouth showed last season how good a side they are. But the loss of Andoni Iraola will be sizeable and City are strong at home.

Next up is a trip to Crystal Palace that should be easier than last season. Like City, they will start next term with a new boss and the Blues will be expected to take advantage of any uneasiness at Selhurst Park.

Finally they return to the Etihad to take on newly promoted Coventry. Perhaps scarred by an opening day trip to Arsenal, Frank Lampard’s side will be seen as a good opponent to keep spirits high.

A United-shaped double edged sword

Of course, it was never going to be long before a big game came around and matchday four sees City travel to Old Trafford. Manchester United will be confident of beating City after running out relatively comfortable winners back in January.

And a defeat to their fierce rivals so soon into Maresca’s tenure threatens to upset any momentum built in the opening three games. That being said, a win would be huge at this point of the new era.

Derby day means more than just three points to City fans and if the Blues put the Reds to the sword, Maresca will manage to win over anyone with lingering doubts.

Champions League blow

Following on from City’s eight Champions League games are some difficult fixtures for the Blues to negotiate. United away, Aston Villa away, Chelsea home and both clashes with Arsenal, all come either before or after Champions League matches.

At this stage, we don’t know whether City will be home or away, or even who they will be playing in Europe, but it is fair to say they would have preferred games that perhaps did not demand as much from the squad.

Maresca knows just how important a strong squad will be this season. And due to the demands of the Champions League, we can expect City to have some tough weeks to come.

Fixture quirk

One quirk to the fixture list that might have slipped under the radar is how the games with the traditional ‘Big Six’ have been arranged. Incredibly, City will not play one of the traditional ‘bigger clubs’ of United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham at home until December when they host Maresca’s former team.

The benefits of this will not be known until 2027 but it does mean that when the title race is heating up, City will be playing teams most likely to be challenging, at home. In particular, Liverpool on May 8 could be crucial and having home advantage for that one could make all the difference.

Big Premier League change

Finally City, like the rest of the Premier League, must comprehend a mammoth international break at the start of the season. Following the fifth match of the campaign at home to Sunderland on September 19, the Blues will have to wait for nearly a month before they travel to Liverpool on October 10.

This is because the September and October international breaks will merge next season to provide less stop-start disruption to the domestic campaign. During that time, Maresca will be hoping he can reflect on a good start to life at City.

However, such a lengthy break in the middle of the season is unprecedented and City must hope it doesn’t derail them.