Manchester City enter 2026/27 in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in a decade, they live in a world no longer shaped by Pep Guardiola. After ten years, twenty trophies and an era that redefined English football, Guardiola’s exit leaves a vacuum that even a club of City’s scale cannot simply glide through. City still have the talent, the infrastructure and the expectations of champions, but this is a genuine reset. The era has changed; the standards haven’t. All of our picks and podcasts can be found here on the Premier League Gambling Podcast
Manchester City’s final year under Guardiola was defined by a slight lack of control. They were still elite in spells, but as relentless. Abd, crucially, no longer untouchable. They finished 2nd behind Arsenal, the first time in years that a title race slipped decisively away from them. Arsenal’s consistency and physical edge proved too much to chase down. City remained one of the league’s best sides by any metric, but the familiar late‑season surge never truly materialised, and key injuries plus an ageing core left them short when it mattered. Stay up to date with the results and fixtures here
The campaign ended with silverware, the FA Cup, but also with a sense of transition. Guardiola stepping away after a decade, long‑serving pillars like Bernardo Silva and John Stones departing, and Rodri’s eventual move to Barcelona confirming the scale of the reset. It was still a strong season, but not a defining one. Tt sets the stage for the biggest shift the club has faced in years.
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca steps into the Manchester City job as the chosen heir to Guardiola’s dynasty, but the task in front of him is far bigger than simply continuing the blueprint. His arrival marks the beginning of a genuine transition. The squad has lost long‑serving players like Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri, there’s a fanbase adjusting to life after its defining figure, and a club that finished second last season rather than dictating the league.
Maresca’s tactical identity is unmistakably Guardiola‑influenced. He will play a 4‑2‑3‑1 that becomes a 3‑2‑5 in possession, the inverted full‑back, the obsession with central overloads. Yet he’s also a coach who has shown he can adapt, evolve and impose structure quickly, as he did at Leicester and Chelsea. City trust him because he understands the system from the inside, but he now has to prove he can run it at scale. Managing Haaland’s role, integrating £116m signing Elliot Anderson, and reshaping a midfield without its most important player are all big asks. Maresca is not just inheriting a team, he’s inheriting an era.
Players Out
Bernardo Silva (released)
John Stones (released)
Rodri (60m, Barcelona)
Tijiani Reijnders (52m, Al Qadsiah)
James Trafford (45m, Leeds United)
Nathan Ake (7m, Fenerbahce)
Manuel Akanji (13m, Inter Milan)
Players In
Elliott Anderson (116m, Nottingham Forest)
Geronimo Rulli (1.7m, Marseiile)
Manchester City Premier League Odds
Premier League Winners +350
Top 4 Finish -300
Bottom Half Finish 7/1
To Be Relegated 12/1
To Finish Bottom 25/1
City’s transfer business across 2026 has been dominated far more by who left than who arrived. The January window brought two smart, structural additions. Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace reinforced a thinning centre‑back group, and Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth added pace and flexibility across the front line.
However, the real story is the scale of the exodus. This summer saw the end of an era. Bernardo Silva leaving on a free to Real Madrid, John Stones departing after a decade of service, Manuel Akanji sold to Inter, Nathan Aké moving to Fenerbahçe, and most seismic of all, Rodri completing his transfer to Barcelona. That’s the core of Guardiola’s control‑era midfield and defence gone in one sweep. City have spent big, most notably the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson. The window still feels defined by the holes they’ve had to patch. Maresca inherits a squad that has been reshaped, not refreshed, and the weight of those departures will hang over the early months of his tenure.
Strengths
City’s greatest strength in this transition is that Enzo Maresca isn’t arriving blind. The Italian knows the club, the structure, the demands and the tactical language better than any outsider could. He’s been inside the Guardiola ecosystem, understands the positional play principles that underpin everything City do. Maresca step into a dressing room full of players who already speak that football fluently. And despite the high‑profile departures, the quality that remains is still outrageous. Haaland, Foden, O’Reilly, Gvardiol, Dias, Doku, is a core that most clubs in Europe would build an entire project around. Add in the £116m investment in Elliot Anderson, plus January additions Guéhi and Semenyo, and City still possess one of the deepest, most technically gifted squads in the league. The era has changed, but the foundations of elite talent, tactical continuity, and a manager fluent in the club’s DNA remain firmly in place.
Weaknesses
City’s biggest weakness heading into 2026/27 is the sheer scale of upheaval behind the scenes. Guardiola leaving is seismic on its own, but the aftershocks are just as significant. There’s an almost complete refresh of the backroom staff, new voices in training, new methods, new rhythms, and a squad suddenly without the leadership core that defined the last decade. Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Aké and Akanji weren’t just starters they were the dressing‑room anchors. Tactical reference points, the players who enforced standards when Guardiola didn’t need to speak. Losing that many senior figures at once strips away experience, authority and emotional continuity. Maresca knows the club, but he’s still stepping into a structure that has been ripped up and rebuilt around him.
Early‑season turbulence feels inevitable. City still have elite talent, but the combination of managerial change, staff turnover and a leadership vacuum means this is the most vulnerable they’ve looked in years.
Summary and Picks
Prediction: 3rd Place – 79 Points
Manchester City will be fine. I don’t foresee a world in which they will not be at the top end of the division. However, there has to a period of adjustment, and chasing Arsenal down will be a job of fine margins. Also, there is a lack of really strong opposition who look in a position to challenge them for a Champions League spot.
Opportunity knocks for Phil Foden, who has looked sharp in pre-season, and can get back amongst the goals. He has reached double figures in the past, and given a starting berth can do so again.
Phil Foden 10+ goals 2/1
