Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol has thrown his support behind incoming head coach Enzo Maresca, describing the Italian as the ideal appointment to lead the club into its next chapter following Pep Guardiola's departure.
Guardiola stepped away from City at the end of last season after a decade in charge that yielded a remarkable trophy haul, leaving big shoes to fill. The club moved quickly to appoint Maresca, who penned a three-year contract after previous managerial stints that saw him guide Leicester City to the Championship title and lead Chelsea to Club World Cup success.
Maresca's tenure officially began over the weekend when he took charge of City for the first time in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, though the occasion ended in disappointment as his side fell to a penalty shootout defeat against Inter Milan.
Despite the result, Gvardiol expressed confidence in the direction the club is heading under its new leadership. The Croatian international praised Maresca's credentials and suggested his appointment reflects the ambition City continue to hold as a club.
"The level is that high and he has been chosen with reason as the manager," Gvardiol said. "I think he has a quality, has some new ideas and also we need to see what we are going to do [with] the style of [play], the football we are going to play and the tactics."
The defender acknowledged that replacing a figure as decorated as Guardiola comes with inherent challenges, but stressed patience will be required as both players and coach adjust to one another.
"I think he is a perfect one, but of course, it takes time," Gvardiol said. "It's something totally new, it's not easy to change the manager, so we will take time."
Gvardiol added that the squad has a responsibility to support Maresca as he settles into his new role, emphasizing the importance of communication and adaptability during the transition period.
"It's our job to help him as much as possible and also to listen to try to adapt as quick as possible," he said.
The 23-year-old also revealed he has already held individual discussions with the new manager, touching on topics ranging from his recent injury to his previous role under Guardiola's system.
"I met him, we spoke a little bit about my injury [and] also how we played, how I played before with Pep, and that's it, more or less," Gvardiol explained.
Maresca inherits a City squad that remains among the most talented in Europe, though the club endured a comparatively underwhelming campaign by their own lofty standards last season. The appointment of a coach with a reputation for possession-based, tactically flexible football suggests City may look to evolve certain aspects of their approach while retaining core principles that brought so much success under Guardiola.
The defeat to Inter Milan, while not a cause for major concern given its pre-season context, offered an early glimpse of the adjustments still to come as Maresca familiarizes himself with his new personnel and begins shaping his own vision for the team ahead of the upcoming season.
With the transfer window still open and a new competitive campaign on the horizon, all eyes will be on how quickly City can adapt to their new manager's methods and whether the early optimism expressed by players like Gvardiol translates into results once the stakes are raised.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.