Alan Shearer believes Enzo Maresca faces an “almost impossible” job at the Etihad after it was announced the Italian has replaced Pep Guardiola at the helm at the club.
Guardiola – after a decade in charge, 593 games in the dugout and a remarkable haul of 20 trophies – stepped down as manager of Man City at the end of last season as they finished runners-up to Arsenal in the Premier League.
Maresca, who was previously an assistant to Guardiola at the club, now has the unenviable job of taking over the reigns at the Etihad and his announcement as the new manager was revealed on Monday.
And Betfair ambassador Shearer believes that Guardiola will be a very tough act to follow for Maresca and sees similarities to when Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management at cross-city rivals Manchester United.
“I guess that City have known for a while that Maresca coming in was going to happen, the chief executives and the owners,” Shearer said.
“I don’t think that Pep Guardiola would have just sprung it on them with two weeks to go and said he’s leaving.
“They would have time to work on who they were going to get and why they were going to get him. It is an incredibly tough act to follow with Pep, maybe almost impossible, because of what he has achieved.
“We saw when Sir Alex left Man Utd what happened to the managers and maybe they have not even still recovered, so it is going to be very, very difficult for City and Maresca. A brave man goes in there, but he has the opportunity to work with some of the best players and put City back to the top of the league, but it is going to be a big ask.
“It is a brave decision by him and City, I guess he goes in there with Pep’s endorsement as well, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is the one that Pep recommended as he has worked with him before but bloody hell, it is a tough act to follow.”
