Enzo Maresca is the new man in the Etihad dugout, and after a decade of Pep Guardiola's rule, the change is significant. The Italian has signed a three-year contract and brings with him a clear tactical identity.
Maresca's teams tend to operate in a 4-2-3-1 shape, built around possession and fluid movement through central areas. Given the quality City have in midfield, that shouldn't be a problem. But there are decisions to be made elsewhere.
Goalkeeper dilemma
Gianluigi Donnarumma was Guardiola's first-choice last season, keeping 15 clean sheets in his debut Premier League campaign. His shot-stopping is elite. His comfort on the ball? Less so.
James Trafford, meanwhile, was the cup goalkeeper and is far more comfortable with his feet. He also worked under Maresca during the Italian's time as Under-21s manager, which may count for something. At Leicester, Maresca favoured a ball-playing goalkeeper in Mads Hermansen. At Chelsea, he adapted his system to accommodate Robert Sanchez despite his limitations on the ball. So there's a precedent for either approach.
Full-back rotation
Maresca likes his full-backs to drift inside and create overloads in central areas during build-up. At Leicester, Ricardo Pereira and Hamza Choudhury played this role on the right. At Chelsea, it was Reece James and Malo Gusto.
That inverted role looks tailor-made for Nico O'Reilly, who was also coached by Maresca in the academy. The Englishman has already shown he can contribute in attack, scoring a brace in the Carabao Cup Final against Arsenal. On the right side, the full-back is likely to tuck in and form a three-man defensive line, probably involving Mattheus Nunes, Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol. Nunes played this more conservative role often last season. Maresca could also deploy a natural centre-back there, such as Khusanov, for extra defensive cover when O'Reilly pushes forward.
Midfield rebuild
The midfield is changing. Elliot Anderson has arrived in a record-breaking transfer and Bernardo Silva has departed. Anderson can play as either a holding midfielder — a role he performed for England during the World Cup — or as a more progressive option, which he did for Nottingham Forest last season. Rodri is likely to partner him deeper, assuming the Ballon d'Or winner stays amid transfer speculation.
At Chelsea, Maresca used Cole Palmer as his number ten, connecting play between defence and attack. Rayan Cherki looks well-suited to that role, capable of drifting wide or occupying central positions to create chances for the forwards.
Attack
City scored 77 league goals last season, the most in the division. Erling Haaland contributed 27 of them. Maresca demands hard work from his centre-forward, asking him to combine closely with the number ten and stay involved in build-up. That worked well with Nicolas Jackson and Palmer at Chelsea. Haaland is a different profile, but he'll still be expected to support build-up and stretch defences alongside the likes of Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Savinho and Omar Marmoush.
In wide areas, Maresca favours direct, fast wingers who can beat defenders one-on-one. At Leicester, Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi combined for 37 goals and assists between them.