--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-06-10T18:17:24.761Z last_updated: 2026-06-10T10:33:26+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/manchester-city/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFuY2hlc3RlcmV2ZW5pbmduZXdzLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL2Zvb3RiYWxsLW5ld3MvbWFuLWNpdHktZW56by1tYXJlc2NhLXdpbGRjYXJkLTM0MDk1MTQx --- # Man City's Champions League glory anniversary puts new era into perspective - **Source:** - **Published:** 10 Jun - **Club:** Manchester City - **Original URL:** https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-enzo-maresca-wildcard-34095141 Of the starting XI that beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul, just five players remain on the books at the Etihad Stadium. The match winner Rodri is still with the Blues, albeit he has just one year remaining on his contract and his recent interviews suggest he is very much in the twilight of his City career. The same goes for Nathan Ake who again has just one year remaining on his City deal. Jack Grealish started on the left but spent last season on loan at Everton. His future is up in the air but it seems City have moved on from the former Aston Villa man. The only remaining players with a long-term future at the club are Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland. After injuries last season, City saw a glimpse of life without Dias, leaving Haaland as the only man set in stone for the new era. On the bench, it is a similar story. Just Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips and Rico Lewis remain with the latter two considering their options this summer. Most importantly though, it is the head coach that guided this team to glory who will also not be here next season. Pep Guardiola was the architect behind City's success and his departure has left the biggest hole for the club to fill this summer. Just three years on from that glorious night in Turkey, City looks unrecognisable. The major renovation puts this impending new era into perspective. Most of this current group of players do not have the muscle memory of winning domestic football's biggest trophy. Nor do most of the squad have that experience of winning the Premier League. That is why it was so important to get those domestic trophies under their belts. Winning the FA and Carabao Cups last season were arguably City's third and fourth priorities for the campaign, but that success breeds a winning mentality. The departing Bernardo Silva admitted as much after beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final last month. "Being able to lift another trophy at Wembley, where we have played so many times, is such a special feeling - one I never take for granted," he told BBC Sport. "To do so as captain makes this one of the best days of my career. Having already won the League Cup this year, this young team have now got a taste for trophies. I feel sure they will go on and win many more titles in the years to come." But domination, the likes of which we saw under Guardiola, is not guaranteed. City fans have seen first hand how difficult it is to follow on from a successful manager. Arne Slot managed to win the Premier League in his first season after Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool. And yet this summer, he finds himself out of work. City will take comfort from the fact that, unlike their rivals on Merseyside, their team is at the beginning of their lifespan. Plus, in an ironic twist of fate, Guardiola's soon-to-be successor Enzo Maresca was there on that special night in Istanbul as the outgoing boss' assistant. Only time will tell if Maresca's experience of that glory can be passed on to this new generation. However, considering the upheaval in just three short years, the success City have managed to achieve already must be applauded as they head into the next chapter.