Pep Guardiola has been many things to Manchester City, but above all he has been certainty. For almost a decade, he has been the man that made everything make sense at the Etihad. Wins, trophies, records, domination, control, belief. So when reports began to spread that this could be his final season at the club, it did not just feel like normal football news. It felt like the ground shaking under the feet of City fans. And when the name Enzo Maresca was suddenly placed next to that possible exit, the reaction was instant, loud, emotional, and in many cases full of fear.c
Manchester City fans are not angry because they hate Enzo Maresca. Many of them actually respect him. They know his history. They know he worked under Guardiola. They know he has done well at Chelsea, guiding them back into the Champions League, winning the Europa Conference League, and even lifting the Club World Cup. On paper, his CV looks strong. But football is not just about paper. It is about timing, legacy, trust, and the trauma of what fans have seen happen to other clubs when legends leave.
The fear inside the City fanbase comes from one simple thought that keeps repeating in their heads: what happens after Pep Guardiola leaves? This is not a normal manager. This is not just another coach who won a league title or two. Guardiola has built an entire footballing culture at Manchester City. He has shaped the club’s identity, its style, its mentality, and even the way fans see football itself. Replacing him is not like replacing a player. It is like trying to replace a philosophy.
Last season already planted seeds of doubt. For the first time in eight years, Manchester City finished a campaign without a major trophy. That alone was enough to make people uncomfortable. Liverpool ended City’s four-year dominance in the league, and suddenly the feeling of invincibility disappeared. Questions that had been silent for years started to grow louder. Is Pep tired? Is the cycle ending? Has the hunger faded? Is this the beginning of the end?
When the new season started poorly, those questions became even sharper. Reports emerged in September suggesting Guardiola was under pressure. For most managers, that would be normal. For Guardiola at City, it felt almost unthinkable. This is the man who has won 12 league titles across his career, a manager many consider one of the greatest in football history. Yet football moves fast, and emotions move even faster.
City recovered. They found form again. They pushed back into the title race. They looked comfortable in Europe and on course to reach the Champions League knockout stages automatically. On the pitch, things improved. But off the pitch, the uncertainty did not disappear. Instead, it grew quietly. Well-placed sources began to talk about a growing anticipation that this season could be Guardiola’s last at the Etihad. Not because he is failing, but because everything has a natural ending.
That is where contingency planning comes in. Big clubs plan ahead. They do not wait until the house is on fire before looking for water. Manchester City, knowing Guardiola’s importance, have reportedly started advancing their plans for life after him. And that is how Enzo Maresca’s name entered the conversation.
Maresca is not a random option. He knows the club. He knows the system. He worked as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022–23 season, learning closely from the man himself. He then left to become Leicester City manager and later moved to Chelsea, where he has impressed many with his tactical ideas and calm leadership. Inside City’s hierarchy, he still has admirers. People who believe he understands the Guardiola way and could continue it rather than tear it apart.
But understanding Pep Guardiola is not the same as being Pep Guardiola. And City fans know this better than anyone.
As soon as The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Maresca was high among the candidates being considered if Guardiola leaves next summer, social media exploded. The reaction was not calm analysis. It was raw emotion. Fear. Anger. Sarcasm. Desperation. Many fans immediately made the same comparison, and it was not a flattering one. Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson.
That comparison is like a nightmare to City supporters. United were once dominant, feared, untouchable. Ferguson left, and despite endless money, big names, and constant rebuilding, they have never truly recovered. Managers came and went. Styles changed. Identity was lost. The club became a warning, not a benchmark. For City fans, the idea of following that same path is terrifying.
One fan wrote bluntly that appointing the wrong replacement would finish the club. Another said this is how City start becoming United. Others simply posted “oh dear” or “please no” or “hell nah,” words short but heavy with meaning. Some fans said it feels like going backwards. Some asked, almost in disbelief, what the club is even doing.
These reactions are not about logic alone. They are about emotional investment. City fans have lived through the transformation from a hopeful project to a dominant empire. Guardiola was at the heart of that. Losing him feels like losing the safety net that has caught them every time they fell.
There is also a sense of betrayal some fans feel, not toward Guardiola, but toward the idea of settling. To them, Maresca feels like a safe choice, not an ambitious one. Someone familiar, comfortable, controllable. But after Pep Guardiola, fans do not want comfort. They want certainty. They want someone who can command the dressing room, handle egos, win immediately, and maintain the ruthless standards Guardiola set.
That is why names like Vincent Kompany and Andoni Iraola came up in fan reactions. Kompany represents legacy, leadership, and emotional connection. He captained the club, understands its soul, and commands respect instantly. Iraola represents fresh energy, modern ideas, and boldness. For some fans, it is either someone with deep City DNA or someone completely outside the Guardiola shadow. Anything in between feels dangerous.
The irony is that Maresca’s connection to Guardiola, which makes him attractive to the board, is the same thing that worries fans. They fear imitation without mastery. Copying the system without carrying the aura. Following the blueprint without owning it. Football history is full of managers who were brilliant assistants but struggled as successors.
Chelsea’s current situation also adds fuel to the fire. Despite Maresca’s success on paper, there have been reports of internal tension. His comments after a match against Everton, where he hinted that many people had not supported him and the team behind the scenes, raised eyebrows. Chelsea chiefs were reportedly baffled. For City fans, this raises questions. If there is tension there already, how would he handle the pressure cooker of replacing Guardiola?
Replacing Pep is not just about tactics. It is about psychology. Every loss will be compared. Every draw will feel like failure. Every rotation decision will be questioned. The shadow Guardiola casts is massive, and anyone stepping into it will feel the weight instantly.
City fans are not blind to reality. They know Guardiola will not stay forever. They know change is inevitable. But they want that change to feel like a new chapter, not the start of decline. They want reassurance, not experiments. They want ambition, not continuity for the sake of continuity.
The club’s hierarchy sees things differently, at least for now. They value stability. They value philosophy. They believe Maresca understands the principles that made City successful and could preserve them. From their perspective, it is about evolution, not revolution. From the fans’ perspective, it feels like gambling with everything they have built.
What makes the situation even more emotional is that Guardiola has not officially said he is leaving. There is no farewell speech. No confirmed date. Just whispers, reports, anticipation. That uncertainty creates anxiety. Fans are reacting not to reality, but to possibility. And possibilities are often scarier than facts.
If Guardiola does leave next summer, whoever replaces him will inherit a squad full of world-class talent, but also enormous expectations. The margin for error will be tiny. The patience will be limited. The comparisons will be brutal. Success will not be measured by improvement, but by continuation of dominance.
That is why the idea of getting it wrong feels catastrophic to supporters. They are not overreacting because they are spoiled. They are reacting because they understand how fragile football empires can be. One wrong decision can trigger years of rebuilding, confusion, and regret.
In the end, the rage, fear, and sarcasm flooding social media are not really about Enzo Maresca. They are about Pep Guardiola. About what he represents. About the end of an era that fans are not ready to let go of. About the fear of waking up one day and realizing the golden years are over.
Manchester City have reached a point where expectations are no longer about winning sometimes, but about winning always. Guardiola created that reality. Living without him will be the club’s biggest test yet.
Whether Maresca is the right man or not, one thing is clear. For Manchester City fans, the post-Guardiola future feels uncertain, frightening, and deeply emotional. And until clarity replaces rumours, the noise will only grow louder.
