Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has no easy task following Pep Guardiola's impressive 10-year act. For many, his appointment suggests a continuation in tactical approach. But Maresca, despite clearly being inspired by his former mentor, has his own style and one which we have started to see emerge across City's pre-season.
To understand Maresca's City we need to provide some context about Guardiola's. Guardiola, by some, is mistakenly thought to be strictly married to a singular approach. While Guardiola had principles he stuck to throughout his career, he did not stick to one system.
These principles included keeping as much of the ball as possible, as far away from his team's goal and as close to the opponent's goal. His game was also founded on the basis of positional play. Domenec Torrent, a long-time assistant of Guardiola's, offered a nice definition of positional play, describing it as "how you place yourself in relation to others on the field when you have the ball, and where you should be so that you can continue pressing when you lose it".
The coach implements tactics based on the positions of players in the hope of giving their team an advantage. The end of Torrent's definition highlights another key Guardiola principle, the idea of good rest defence, referring to team-mates behind the ball when their team attacks, ready to defend counter-attacks. Maresca's City also embody these principles, evident by their 64% possession in their first game against Inter Milan.
On the ball, players in Maresca's set-up play in clearly defined positions rather than moving around the pitch freely. It is obvious the Italian, like Guardiola, is a champion of positional play. So we have seen Maresca's City leave four or five players – the three defenders and the holding midfielders – behind the ball whilst they attack, ensuring the team maintain a good 'rest defence'.
On the ball, Maresca sets City up in a 3-2-2-3 shape, a shape he used while managing Chelsea. This rather rigid positional style of play keeps three defenders in the first line, capable of playing with the ball, while being able to cover the width of the pitch defensively. In front of them, two midfielders help progress the ball, screen the defence, and counter-press quickly if the ball is lost.
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