Man City prepare for major change
Man City have formally confirmed the departure of five senior members of Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff, deepening the sense that an extraordinary footballing age has closed at the Etihad.
Guardiola’s exit, confirmed after a decade of dominance, already felt like a seismic moment. His final match, a 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa, gave the ending a strangely human note, less grand procession than abrupt full stop. Now, with key members of his inner circle also leaving, Man City are not merely changing manager. They are changing rhythm, language and identity.
Guardiola allies follow him out
Among the departures is Pep Lijnders, who arrived only last summer after a long and influential spell alongside Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. His time at Man City was brief, but significant, part of a reshaped coaching group that helped deliver another domestic double.
Lijnders even led the team at the London Stadium in March when Man City drew 1-1 with West Ham, with Guardiola serving a touchline ban. It was a small glimpse of continuity, although that continuity has now disappeared.
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Kolo Toure, the former Man City defender who stepped into a first team coaching role last summer, will also leave. His departure carries a different kind of symbolism, linking the club’s modern playing past with a coaching future that will now be shaped by others.
Etihad rebuild gathers pace
Fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura, operations support figure Manel Estiarte and head of goalkeeping Xabi Mancisidor are also departing. Mancisidor had been at Man City since the Manuel Pellegrini era, while Buenaventura and Estiarte had followed Guardiola through Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester.
Their exits underline how complete this reset now feels. Man City’s next manager, expected to be Enzo Maresca, will inherit not only a decorated squad but also the shadow of a system that once seemed almost impossible to separate from Guardiola himself.
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