New Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is shaping his team with a distinct tactical approach, while still embodying the core principles established by his predecessor, Pep Guardiola. Pre-season games have revealed Maresca's system, which includes a focus on high possession, positional play, and maintaining a strong 'rest defence' – keeping players behind the ball to counter-press.
On the attack, Maresca's City adopts a 3-2-2-3 formation, a shape he previously utilised during his time at Chelsea. This rigid positional style sees three defenders and two midfielders forming a base, with wingers instructed to stay high and wide. Nico Gonzalez confirmed this strategy, stating, "We try to arrive to the wingers. We have a lot of quality in wingers." Antoine Semenyo has been a standout player in this role during pre-season, often creating chances by running at full-backs.
While the wide wingers are crucial, Maresca's system also accounts for central play, with space opening up inside if opponents double-mark the wingers. Players like Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are expected to thrive in these central areas. Additionally, Josko Gvardiol has been seen moving from left-back into a left attacking-midfield position when City has possession.
Defensively, Maresca's City has shown a shift from his Chelsea tactics. Instead of a man-to-man press, City has defended high up the pitch in a more zonal fashion during pre-season, resembling the 4-2-4 shape used by the club last season. Maresca noted that teams are increasingly finding solutions against man-to-man presses, suggesting his change in defensive approach is to adapt to this evolving trend.