Enzo Maresca stands just four victories away from equalling Pep Guardiola’s remarkable 10-game winning start at Manchester City, but his predecessor’s first season serves as a cautionary tale against reading too much into early momentum.
Maresca’s Manchester City Roll On: Six Down, Four To Go for Guardiola Mark
City stretched their perfect run to six matches on Thursday night, dismantling Norwich City 5-0 in the EFL Cup.
Maresca’s side have also dispatched Bournemouth, Coventry City, Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the Premier League, alongside a Champions League triumph over Porto.
Across those six fixtures, City have plundered 15 goals while conceding just twice. Four consecutive clean sheets reinforce the impression that the Italian’s extensive rebuild is accelerating rapidly.
The Spaniard won his opening 10 matches in all competitions following his 2016 arrival at the Etihad Stadium.
To match that feat, Maresca must navigate a demanding sequence. City host Sunderland on Sunday before the international break, then travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on October 11.
Three days later, they welcome Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League before Ipswich Town visit on October 17.
Maresca previously served on Guardiola’s staff during the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, yet he has stressed that familiarity with the club’s structure does not equate to familiarity with the current squad.
Only Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ruben Dias remain from the 2023 Champions League final starting XI.
Guardiola’s first season provides the obvious warning. City’s 10-match run ended with a 3-3 draw at Celtic, and the club subsequently endured a five-game winless streak in October.
Guardiola finished that campaign trophyless, with a third-place league finish and exits from the Champions League last 16 and FA Cup semi-finals.
Maresca plans to use the international period to review every match and identify improvement areas. His focus on development suggests he will not chase records.
Ten consecutive wins would place him alongside Guardiola, but City’s own history demonstrates that trophies, not early runs, define success.
