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WILL ENZO MARESCA REPLACE PEP GUARDIOLA: MAN CITY PLOT SHOCK MOVE FOR CHELSEA BOSS

Why is Enzo Maresca questioning his Chelsea future? New reports link the Italian to a sensational Man City return in 2026.

Will Enzo Maresca Replace Pep Guardiola: Man City Plot Shock Move for Chelsea Boss
Is Maresca Leaving Chelsea

Word is, Chelsea's manager, Enzo Maresca, is high up on Man City's list to replace Pep Guardiola when he eventually leaves. He's had two stints at City before and could be back for a third when Guardiola, the star coach, decides to leave the team.

Guardiola's contract: Will he break it?

The Athletic says City is already planning for 2026, just in case Guardiola leaves before his contract ends in 2027.

Some sources say that people think this might be Guardiola's last season at City, and he'll probably decide for sure closer to the end of the season. The team wants to make sure they have a good replacement ready.

Maresca is still well-liked at City and is expected to be a top pick if the job opens up. He's not the only one they're thinking about, but he's definitely on their radar.

Guardiola wants to take a breather after City.

City knows Guardiola usually waits relatively late before deciding what to do, so they need to be prepared. The Athletic also says that the Financial Fair Play case, which is a big issue for City, doesn't affect Guardiola's situation.

He's said before that he wants to take a break from coaching after his time at City. Having been in England since 2016, Guardiola mentioned, “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I am sure. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break.”

What Maresca said about his 'worst 48 hours'

Maresca, who's been managing Chelsea since 2024, makes sense as Guardiola's replacement. He used to coach City's U21 team in 2020-21 and was later an assistant coach for the first team after managing Parma for a bit.

He has a contract with Chelsea until 2029, and the team can extend it for another year. But people are wondering about his future because he seemed to question whether he's getting enough support from Chelsea's bosses.

Before their 2-0 win against Everton, which ended a four-game losing streak, he said, “The way the players want to learn has been amazing, and that's why I'm praising them. They're doing great, even with so many issues after a tough week. Since I started at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't back us.”

He added, “Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support the team and me.” When asked who wasn't supporting him, Maresca said, "In general. In general. I love the fans, and we are very happy with the fans.”

Kompany is another possible replacement for Guardiola.

Guardiola seems to want someone familiar to take over. He recently said about Maresca, who has won big titles with Chelsea, “Look what happened after Leeds [a 3-1 loss for the Blues]. One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca—I know him quite well—but the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit.

“Winning the Club World Cup, the Conference League, and qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional. And he rotated, and look what happened?”

Vincent Kompany, who used to captain City and win Premier League titles, is also being mentioned as a possible replacement. He's now coaching Harry Kane and his teammates at Bayern Munich in Germany.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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