The post-Pep Guardiola era is underway at Manchester City, after the Spaniard ended his ten-year trophy-laden spell at the Etihad this summer.
As Enzo Maresca gets to work in taking the club into a new phase, former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart believes one of the first challenges will be to restore the fear factor at the club - something that was slipping under even Guardiola over the past two seasons.
For Hart, this crucial area is separate from tactics and personnel, with City once possessing an aura that immediately put opponents on the back foot. Getting it back, however, will not be easy.
Hart on City’s need to restore the fear factor
“They lost that one-goal lead they had when they lined up at the start of games,” Hart tells FourFourTwo, explaining how opponents felt like they were a goal down even before kick-off.
“There was a point in Pep’s reign that they got 100 points, when they were absolutely phenomenal.”
This sense of inevitability was once one of the defining features of Guardiola’s reign, but with the club’s last title coming in 2024, that psychological edge has faded.
“People aren’t as afraid of them any more, but you earn that over time,” Hart continues. “Hard work, grinding it out, being willing to go through tough moments. You’ve got to earn the right.”
As Hart looks back at last season, he does see reasons for encouragement in the upcoming campaign, not least as the club look to prepare for another key exit in Rodri.
“They didn’t struggle as much when Rodri couldn’t play,” Hart continues.
“And I liked the signings – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi, and Rayan Cherki was a breath of fresh air.”
The former City No.1 was also impressed by what he saw from the club’s current custodian.
“Ederson was an incredible keeper for Manchester City, but the biggest compliment I can pay to Donnarumma was that he very much made the shirt his own.
“Defenders trusted his angles – they didn’t let players inside, but the full-backs were quite comfortable letting people have shots from an angle.”
