When Pep Guardiola left Manchester City, assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders also departed. New Man City manager Enzo Maresca is bringing his own coaching staff with him and was greeted with a personal message from Lijnders.
Lijnders leaves personal message for new Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca has officially begun his new chapter at Manchester City, and his return to familiar surroundings came with a personal touch from Pepijn Lijnders, who left a message for the Italian coach inside what will now become his office at the Etihad Campus.
Maresca was appointed by Manchester City at the end of last month, after the club moved quickly to begin a new era following the departure of Pep Guardiola. His arrival marks a major moment for the Premier League champions, who are now preparing for life after 10 years under one of the most influential managers in modern football.
For Maresca, however, the first steps back in Manchester were not those of a complete newcomer. The Italian already knows the club from the inside. He worked as an assistant coach under Guardiola during the 2022/23 season and, before that, coached Manchester Citys youth team. That background means he returns with an understanding of the clubs working culture, training environment and football expectations.
A familiar return to Manchester
When Maresca walked back through the Manchester City facilities, the moment carried a sense of recognition. He has already spent time inside the club, already worked with some of its structures and already experienced the standards demanded behind the scenes. That familiarity may prove important as he begins one of the most demanding jobs in European football.
Taking over from Guardiola is not a normal managerial change. The Catalan coach did not simply manage Manchester City, he shaped an entire football identity. During his decade in Manchester, City became associated with control, positional play, technical dominance and a level of consistency that few clubs in Europe could match. Maresca now inherits that legacy, but he must also find a way to make the team his own.
That balance will be one of the central questions of the coming months. Manchester City will not want to move too far away from the principles that brought so much success, but every new manager needs authority, personality and space to make decisions. Maresca knows the Guardiola model well, yet he now has to show that he can lead from the front rather than operate as part of the supporting staff.
Lijnders leaves message on the whiteboard
During his introduction tour, Maresca entered his future office and found a message waiting for him on the whiteboard. Pepijn Lijnders, who also left Manchester City following Guardiola’s departure, had taken the time to write a short but personal note for the new head coach.
"Make every day a masterpiece," the Dutch assistant coach wrote. "To Enzo. I wish you a fantastic adventure. You are returning to a place full of memories. I hope everything goes well."
The message was simple, but it gave the moment extra meaning. In football, managerial changes are often treated as cold transitions, with one staff leaving and another arriving almost immediately. This, however, felt more personal. Lijnders acknowledged that Maresca was not arriving at a strange place, but returning to somewhere that already forms part of his coaching journey.
The words also reflected the scale of the challenge ahead. "Make every day a masterpiece" is the kind of message that fits the environment Maresca is stepping into. At Manchester City, details matter. Training sessions, tactical meetings, squad management and match preparation are all measured against the highest standards. For the new coach, there will be little time to settle quietly into the job.
A symbolic handover after the Guardiola era
Lijnders departure came as part of the wider change following Guardiola’s exit. With the new manager now in place, Maresca is bringing his own technical staff to Manchester. That is standard practice for a coach taking over a club of this size, but it also reinforces the sense that City are entering a different phase.
The club is not only replacing a manager. It is replacing a leadership structure that had become deeply associated with its success. Guardiola was the central figure, but the staff around him helped maintain the rhythm, discipline and tactical clarity that defined Manchester City for years. Maresca now has to build his own working group and create the same level of trust with the players.
That will be a major test from the beginning. The City squad is used to working under intense tactical detail and extremely high daily demands. Maresca will need to convince senior players that the new project remains ambitious, serious and capable of competing immediately. His previous connection with the club may help, but results will quickly become the real measure.
Maresca faces huge expectations
There is no hiding from the pressure that comes with replacing Guardiola. Any coach who follows him at Manchester City would face constant comparisons. Every tactical decision, every team selection and every result will be viewed through the lens of what came before.
Maresca will know that better than most. Having worked under Guardiola, he understands both the advantages and the burden of that association. On one hand, his experience inside the City system gives him credibility. On the other, it also creates expectations that he can continue a similar level of football without the man who built the previous era.
The challenge is made even greater by the fact that Manchester City are expected to compete on all fronts. The standards at the Etihad Stadium do not drop because a new coach has arrived. The club will still be expected to fight for the Premier League, perform strongly in Europe and remain competitive in domestic competitions.
For that reason, Maresca cannot treat his first season as a slow rebuilding campaign. He may need time to adjust certain details, but Manchester City are not a club that can afford a long transition without results. The squad remains full of elite players, and the demands will be immediate.
Community Shield provides an early test
The first major test of the new era will arrive before the Premier League campaign begins. Manchester City are scheduled to face league champions Arsenal in the Community Shield on 16 August, giving Maresca an early competitive fixture against one of the strongest teams in England.
Although the Community Shield is often seen as a curtain raiser, it will carry extra interest this time because it will offer the first serious look at City under their new manager. Supporters will be watching for signs of continuity, but also for signs of change. The positioning of the midfield, the role of the full backs, the tempo in possession and the pressing structure will all be closely analysed.
For Maresca, the match against Arsenal is also an opportunity to make an early impression. A strong performance would help calm any doubts and create momentum before the league season begins. A poor display would not define his time in charge, but it would increase the attention around his first Premier League match.
Premier League opener against Bournemouth
Manchester City will begin their Premier League season on 23 August with a home match against Bournemouth. On paper, it is a fixture City will be expected to win, especially at the Etihad Stadium. In reality, it will be much more than just an opening league match.
It will be the first Premier League match of the post Guardiola era, and therefore a symbolic moment for the club and its supporters. The atmosphere will likely be different. There will be curiosity, expectation and perhaps even a sense of uncertainty that has not surrounded Manchester City for many years.
Maresca will need to manage that emotion carefully. A new coach at a dominant club must show confidence without appearing to simply copy the previous manager. He must respect the past, but also make clear that the team now follows his leadership. That process begins on the training pitch, but it becomes visible once the competitive matches arrive.
Elliot Anderson becomes first major signing
The first major signing under Maresca has already been presented, with Elliot Anderson arriving as an important addition to the squad. The midfielder joins at a time when City are beginning to reshape parts of the team for the new cycle.
Andersons arrival is significant not only because of his quality, but because he becomes one of the first visible pieces of the new project. Every signing made after Guardiola will be viewed as part of the transition into the next era. In that sense, Anderson is not just another player arriving at the Etihad Stadium. He is one of the early faces of the Maresca period.
The midfielder will enter a squad where competition for places remains extremely strong, but his signing shows that Manchester City still intend to operate aggressively in the transfer market. The club is not stepping back after Guardiola’s departure. Instead, it is trying to refresh the squad while keeping the level high enough to continue competing immediately.
A new chapter begins at the Etihad
The message left by Lijnders may have been a small detail, but it captured the human side of a major football transition. Coaching changes at elite clubs are usually discussed in terms of tactics, transfers and results. Yet behind those changes are people leaving offices, new staff arriving, and familiar spaces taking on new meaning.
For Maresca, returning to Manchester City is both a privilege and a responsibility. He comes back to a place full of memories, as Lijnders wrote, but he also returns to a club that now expects him to lead. The difference is enormous. He is no longer assisting, learning or developing in the background. He is now the central figure.
Manchester City are entering a period that will be watched closely across English and European football. The Guardiola era set a standard that will be difficult for anyone to follow, but the club has chosen a coach who already understands its environment and football principles.
The coming weeks will show how quickly Maresca can turn familiarity into authority. The Community Shield against Arsenal, the Premier League opener against Bournemouth and the integration of new signing Elliot Anderson will all form part of the early story. For now, his new chapter has begun with a message on a whiteboard and a reminder of the challenge ahead: to make every day count at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
