Sabon babi ya bude a Etihad Stadium. Karo na farko cikin shekaru goma, Manchester City suna fara kakar wasa ta Premier League karkashin manajan da ba Pep Guardiola ba — kuma mutumin da aka bashi wannan nauyin babba shi ne Enzo Maresca.

Manyan tsammanin don sabon zamanin

Shekarun goma na Guardiola a Manchester sun kasance na ban mamaki ta kowace ma'auni: kofuna 20 a shekaru 10, an gina su bisa wani nau'in wasan da yake ci gaba da ban sha'awa. Tafiyarsa ta bari gibi da ƴan manajoji a duniya za su iya cikawa. Amma Maresca ba ya iso sanye da sabonsa. Ɗan ƙasar Italiya ya yi aiki a ƙungiyar horon Guardiola sau biyu kuma an danganta shi — a tsakanin sauran abubuwa — da ba da shawarar canjin dabara da ya tura John Stones tsakiyar filin wasa a kakar treble 2022-23.

Maresca ya zo tare da kofunan sa na kansa. Watanni 18 da ya yi yana horar da Chelsea sun kasance cike da matsalolin waje da filin wasa sau da yawa, amma ya jagoranci kulob ɗin lashe kofin UEFA Conference League 2025 da FIFA Club World Cup — shaida ta zahiri cewa ya san yadda ake nasara.

Ƙungiyar da aka sake gina ta tare da matasa da ƙarfin hari

Ƙungiyar da Maresca ya gada cike take da hazaƙa a kowane zamani. Nico O'Reilly, Abdukodir Khusanov, da Rayan Cherki, kowanensu yana da shekara 21 ko 22, yayin da Elliot Anderson, wanda aka sayi da fam miliyan 116, yana da shekara 23. Wannan ɓangaren matasa yana zaune tare da Erling Haaland, wanda ya ci ƙwallo 162 a wasanni 198 kaɗai na City kuma yana shiga kakar 2026-27 bayan ya lashe Takalmin Zinariya na Premier League da ƙwallo 38 a dukkan gasa a kakar da ta gabata. Haɗuwarsa ta kammala harbin ƙwallo, ƙarfi, sauri, da ƙarfin harin ta sa shi mutumin da ya fi ban tsoro a matsayin dan gaba a duniya.

Ƙwarewar Bernardo Silva da Stones — duk biyun sun tafi — za ta ɓata baya, kuma lafiya da siffar Rodri za su kasance masu mahimmanci. City ƙungiya ce ta daban sosai sa'ad da dan tsakiyar Sifen yana rasa wasan.

Darasi daga kakar da ta gabata

Manchester City sun kammala kakar Premier League ta bara a matsayi na biyu, suna ba Arsenal taken bayan sun sha kashi huɗu a cikin wasanni 12 na farko — ciki har da wani rashin nasara da Tottenham Hotspur, wanda ya kasance na goma a zamanin Guardiola. Wannan fara mara kyau ya ba Arsenal fifikon da ba za a iya gama da shi ba.

City sun amsa da jerin wasanni 15 ba tare da an ci su ba a lokacin bazara, kuma sun ceci fuska da lashe biyu FA Cup da League Cup. Amma ba tare da hazaƙar ƙirƙira ta Kevin De Bruyne ba, wanda ya yi fure musamman a wadannan matakai masu mahimmanci na kakarwasan, bai isa ba. Fara mai ƙarfi shi ne darasi mafi bayyana da Maresca zai iya ɗauka daga wannan kamfen.

Ɗan wasa da za a lura da shi

Ka kula da Ryan McAidoo mai shekara 18, ɗan gefe mai sauri wanda ya ci ƙwallo a wasansa na farko na FA Cup. Tare da yawancin 'yan wasan City da suka rasa horon kafin kakar bayan Kofin Duniya — kulob ɗin ya aika wakilai 17, adadi mafi yawa a gasar — McAidoo yana da damar nuna kansa da wuri.

Hanyar da ke gaba

Jadawalin wasannin City ya haɗa da wasannin gida da Manchester United, Liverpool, da Arsenal — har da wata tafiya mai wahala zuwa Anfield a watan Mayu. Wasan farko yana ganawa da su da Bournemouth a gida a ranar 23 ga Agusta, sa'an nan suna ziyartar Crystal Palace bayan kwanaki shida.

Masu sa baki suna ba City ƙimar 3/1 don lashe taken Premier League. Mafi yawan masu sa ido suna ganin matsayi na biyu a matsayin sakamakon da ya fi yiwuwa, amma fasahar dabara ta Maresca da zurfin ƙungiyar suna ba da shawarar cewa wannan kimantawa na iya a duba shi sama da shi yayin da kakar ta ci gaba.