Premier League's new bosses brace for battle

Enzo Maresca has replaced Pep Guardiola in the Manchester City hotseat (May JAMES) Nine Premier League clubs will have new managers when the season kicks off on Friday, but few will feel the heat quite like Enzo Maresca, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso. Not since 1946/47, the first campaign after World War II, has there been so much managerial churn before the start of an English top-flight campaign. The flurry of changes mean Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, who only arrived at Old Trafford in January, is already the league's 10th-longest-serving manager. Maresca, Iraola and Alonso will face the fiercest scrutiny as they embark on daunting jobs at Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. AFP Sport looks at the three most high-profile appointments: Maresca 'back home' at Man City Maresca said he was "back home" after returning to Manchester City, but he is already under pressure after a woeful start to the daunting task of replacing Pep Guardiola. The Italian is embarking on a third stint at the club, having previously held the positions of elite development squad lead coach in 2020/21 and assistant coach in 2022/23 -- City's treble-winning season. After that, he masterminded Leicester's return to the Premier League before switching to Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup during a turbulent 18-month stint. City said they had long regarded the 46-year-old as a candidate to succeed Guardiola, who won 20 trophies in a glorious decade in Manchester. Maresca spoke of the "privilege" and "challenge" of stepping into the shoes of his former boss. But on the evidence of City's lacklustre 3-0 loss to Premier League champions Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, Maresca faces a huge task to win the club's first league title since 2024. Iraola relishes Liverpool 'magic' Iraola, 44, told Liverpool fans he wanted to "earn the right to be one of you" after replacing Arne Slot at Anfield. Dutchman Slot was shown the door just 12 months after leading the Reds to a record-equalling 20th English league title, following an alarming slump in form last term. Iraola, hired for his tactical acumen, is expected to return Liverpool to the aggressive style of "heavy metal" football they played under beloved former manager Jurgen Klopp, who was Slot's immediate predecessor. The Spaniard caught Liverpool's eye after his exploits at Bournemouth, where he improved the club's league position in each of his three campaigns.  A sixth-place finish last season ensured the south coast club qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. Iraola spoke of the "magic" of the Liverpool job in his first press conference, but he will be well aware that he is taking a huge step up and the pressures will be unlike any he has faced so far. Alonso has a point to prove Alonso was long linked with Liverpool, where he won the Champions League as a player. Instead, Chelsea is the next stop in his managerial career. The Spaniard's breakthrough as a boss came in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, where he masterminded an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double in the 2023/24 season. That earned him the top job at his former club Real Madrid, but Alonso's stint at the Bernabeu quickly turned sour and he left the club in January after less than eight months in charge. Alonso admitted his early Madrid exit had left a "scar" but said it was now healed as he looks forward to the next chapter. The task for the 44-year-old is to steady the ship at Chelsea after a chaotic season which started with Maresca in charge and included a short, ill-fated spell with Liam Rosenior at the helm. The Blues struggled to a 10th-place finish in the Premier League and have since gone back into the transfer market, notably making Morgan Rogers the most expensive British player in history. The absence of European football could give Alonso valuable time to forge a team in his own image. But fewer games also make it more difficult to keep a bloated squad happy as he seeks to restore stability to a club desperately in need of a period of calm. jw/smg/nf