The Italian met the media for the first time on Friday after signing a three-year contract to become the new City boss.
He takes over from Guardiola, who enjoyed fantastic success during his time at the Etihad Stadium, winning 20 trophies in his decade here.
Maresca worked as the Catalan’s assistant during the 2022/23 campaign but says he will not set out to replicate his philosophy.
“For me, it’s important to make it clear that I’m here to do my job the way I want,” he said at his first press conference.
“I’m not here to copy someone, I’m here to do my job, to install my football, the way I see football.
“If it’s more easy or difficult, I don’t know. It’s a nice challenge, I feel very happy to be here with all of you.”
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Asked about his style of play, Maresca said: “Every manager is different. There can be similar concepts, but every manager is different.
“The way we approach day-by-day and the approach to games will be different.
“We’ll see what we need to tweak concepts, but I don’t think any manager can copy and paste another manager.
“I can copy and paste but I don’t see the football the same way as other managers. That’s why I don’t believe in copy and paste.”
City identified Maresca has the ideal successor to Guardiola as he embarks on his third spell at the Club.
After missing out on the Premier League titles in our previous two seasons, there is plenty of hunger for success and he says the Club expects to challenge for silverware.
“I’m here knowing this a club that needs to win titles,” he added.
“In previous clubs at Leicester and Chelsea, we delivered titles and I’m joining knowing we need to win titles, but I’m not thinking of May or June.
“I’m thinking now, of tomorrow, the 20 young players and how we can improve, then we will see day-by-day.”
And Maresca added that he was not daunted by the prospect of taking over from such a successful period for the Club.
“It depends which way you take it,” he said. “For me it’s a privilege.
“I consider and some of you [do too that] Pep is the best coach in the last 20 years so it’s a privilege.
“But it’s also a challenge because we saw that after this kind of manager, always the Club struggle. I’m aware of it, but I’m relaxed and sure we can do a great job.”
Watch our 2026 tour games on CITY+!
Subscribe to CITY+ now to see all three of City’s games during our 2026 pre-season tour of Asia.
We start in Hong Kong against Italian champions Inter on Saturday 1 August, with kick-off at 12:30 (UK).
After that, we go to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars side on Wednesday 5 August and then Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August. Both games begin at 12:00 (UK).
All three will be available to watch on mancity.com and our official app for current CITY+ subscribers globally*.
Available for £34.99 for an annual subscription or £9.99 per month, CITY+ gets you closer to the Club than ever before, with documentaries, live games and full-match replays throughout the season.
*City v Inter: Globally available except China, Italy
K League All-Stars v City: Globally available except South Korea
City v Atletico Madrid: Globally available except South Korea, Spain
