Guardiola set for emotional City farewell after era-defining decade, Maresca likely successor

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game’s great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles — including a record four in a row — and the club’s first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful managers in English football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League Cup and FA Cup titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday’s league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: “We’ve got . . . Guardiola!” to the tune of The Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over”.

Guardiola’s legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between 2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United’s 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER: The 55-year-old is credited with changing the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola’s entertaining, restless presence. Usually dressed in his favoured knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City’s players have praised his impact and marvelled at his relentless quest for excellence.

“He changed the way I see football,” City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday’s FA Cup win.

“That winning mentality is nothing like I’ve ever seen,” defender John Stones added.

The lingering question, however, is how far the 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules will cloud Guardiola’s tenure, and how much they had to do with the timing of his departure.

City have consistently denied any wrongdoing, and an independent commission has yet to publish its findings more than 18 months after a disciplinary hearing concluded.

For all the tactics, Guardiola’s greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

Guardiola’s legacy is about so much more than silverware.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was given his first senior coaching post as the Catalan’s assistant at City and Enzo Maresca, tipped to be his successor, was previously a member of his coaching staff.

It has been four-and-a-half months since Maresca left Chelsea following an apparent deterioration in the Italian’s relationship with the club’s hierarchy during a period when English media were already reporting that he had been lined up as Guardiola’s eventual replacement at City.

Agencies