Enzo Maresca’s first Manchester City attacking question is already out in the open.
The Guardian’s latest City in-tray analysis framed one of the new manager’s key tasks as finding more scoring routes around Erling Haaland. That is not a small detail for a coach arriving after Pep Guardiola’s decade of control.
City’s own appointment note underlined Maresca’s demand to win, play good football and embrace the pressure after signing a deal to 2029. The squad he inherits, though, still needs sharper distribution of final-third responsibility.
Maresca needs more than a Haaland safety net
The issue is not Haaland’s quality. It is the risk of City becoming too dependent on one finishing lane when tight games demand variation.
- Savinho: City’s official forwards review listed 36 appearances, four goals and two assists in 2025/26.
- Jeremy Doku: offers direct carrying, but Maresca must turn territory into repeat end product.
- Antoine Semenyo: arrived in January and immediately increased wide competition.
ReadManCity has already examined how Inside City footage showed Maresca’s first real test. This is the next layer: building an attack that can survive Haaland being double-marked, rested or short of rhythm after World Cup duty.
City’s forward-review numbers show why the winger group is under scrutiny. Maresca does not need noise. He needs reliable output from more zones.
Welcome back, Enzo
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 29, 2026
That is why the summer attack audit matters. The Guardiola era made City ruthless. Maresca’s first job is making sure the new version is not predictable.
