Manchester City After Guardiola: Is a Steep Fall Coming?

For the better part of a decade, Manchester City set the standard in English football. Under Pep Guardiola, the club turned from noisy neighbours into a trophy machine, winning a string of Premier League titles and a historic Treble. But the 2026/27 season has opened with City facing three big tests at once: life without Guardiola, the loss of their league crown, and a damaging verdict in the long-running 115 charges case.

So is this just a stumble, or the start of a steep fall? Here is where things stand.

Losing the Premier League title to Arsenal

The first crack showed on the pitch. In May 2026, Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title, ending a 22-year wait for the trophy. Finishing behind Mikel Arteta, Guardiola's former assistant, felt like a symbolic changing of the guard.

For most clubs, second place would be a strong season. At City, where the standard has been to win almost everything, it showed that the team was no longer untouchable.

Guardiola leaves and Maresca takes over

The biggest change came in the dugout. Guardiola left at the end of the 2025/26 season after ten years in charge, and City appointed Enzo Maresca as his successor in late June 2026 on a three-year contract. Maresca knows the club well, having previously worked at City before managing Leicester City and Chelsea.

Replacing a manager of Guardiola's standing is one of the hardest jobs in football. History offers warnings: Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal after Arsène Wenger both went through long, painful transitions. The real test for Maresca will be whether City can keep competing for major trophies over a full season.

The 115 charges: what has happened so far

The bigger threat comes off the pitch. In February 2023, the Premier League charged City with 115 breaches of its financial rules covering 2009 to 2018, plus alleged failures to cooperate with the investigation. An independent commission heard the case from September 2024.

On 25 September 2026, The Athletic and The Times reported that the commission had found City guilty of all but one of the charges. The Premier League has not published the decision and declined to comment, citing confidentiality. City deny any wrongdoing.

City lodged an appeal on 1 October 2026, saying the commission's findings contain errors of law, principle and fact. No sanctions have been announced. Under Premier League rules, possible punishments range from fines and points deductions to suspension, and a commission can recommend expulsion.

Can City recover?

City still have elite facilities, a top academy and one of the strongest squads in Europe. They also have a record of fighting legal battles hard: in 2020, they overturned a two-year UEFA ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

But the combination of a new manager, a lost title and a guilty finding hanging over the club creates real uncertainty. Even if the harshest penalties are avoided, the appeal could take months, and the threat of sanctions may affect transfers and contract talks in the meantime.

Our verdict

The era of City looking invincible is over. Whether that becomes a full collapse depends on two things: how quickly Maresca builds his own winning team, and what punishment, if any, survives the appeal. For now, City are still a top club, but one facing more pressure than at any point in the last decade.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Manchester City manager now?

Enzo Maresca has been Manchester City manager since the summer of 2026, after Pep Guardiola left at the end of the 2025/26 season.

Have Manchester City been punished for the 115 charges?

Not yet. Media reports say City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges, but no sanctions have been announced and City have appealed.

Who won the 2025/26 Premier League?

Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title, their first league crown in 22 years.