"Chelsea made a mistake" Guardiola "lost a good coach" in heavy words for former student Maresca's replacement

*This content was translated by AI.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (55) expressed regret over the replacement of former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca (46), who helped him as a head coach in the past.

Guardiola was asked about Maresca's dismissal at a press conference ahead of the 20th round of the "2025-2026 English Premier League" home game against Chelsea on the 5th (Korea time).

He said, "There's only one thing I can say. "Chelsea is a really good manager, and it's the fact that they've lost someone with a great personality," he said. "Of course, this is the decision of the Chelsea leadership, so I can't say anything. This is not surprising in the soccer world," he added.

But a word of bone followed. Guardiola said, "Watching this, I'm once again confirming how good this club (Man City) is and how special it is." This seems to have indirectly criticized Chelsea's way of operating, which hastily replaced the manager, unlike Manchester City, which guarantees and supports the manager's position.

In fact, coach Maresca won the "Coach of the Month Award" in November, just a month ago, and after a year in office, he achieved a result of lifting the FIFA Club World Cup trophy. However, he had a friction with the club over the appointment of players and the medical system, and eventually left the EPL's first case of dismissal on January 1.

Locally, Chelsea's defeat of Maresca is believed to be behind the "Man City manager's appointment." Multiple media outlets, including Britain's The Athletic, have reported that Chelsea suspects Maresca has contacted Manchester City. This is because if Guardiola leaves the team in the summer of 2026, Maresca was mentioned as the first priority for the next coach.

As if aware of such rumors, Guardiola clarified his future at the conference. "One day, there will be a time to say goodbye, but as I have emphasized several times, I have a contract (until 2027) with Manchester City," he said, adding, "I'm happy here and I'll fight with my team until the end."

Coincidentally, Chelsea's first opponent, who lost the head coach, is Manchester City led by Guardiola. Fans are paying attention to Chelsea's confrontation with Manchester City, which boasts solidity under Guardiola, which continues its managerial brutality.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.