Liverpool and Manchester City entered the new season of the English Premier League facing an unprecedented test, after each of them lost one of the most prominent symbols of its modern era, with the departure of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah from Anfield, and the end of the historic career of Spanish coach Pep Guardiola with City.
For the first time since 2016, Liverpool is playing a season without Salah, who was one of the team's most important offensive pillars, while Manchester City begins a new phase without Guardiola, the owner of the most successful era in the club's history.
Salah joined the Turkish club Trabzonspor earlier this August, ending a 9-year career with Liverpool, while Guardiola resigned at the end of last season after a decade full of achievements.
City will begin its league campaign by hosting Bournemouth on Sunday, in its first match in the competition under the leadership of Italian Enzo Maresca, Guardiola’s successor, before Spaniard Andoni Iraola plays his first match as Liverpool coach, when the “Reds” visit Newcastle on the same day.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of the two teams is not only related to the departure of Salah and Guardiola, but also to the state of turmoil that preceded the end of their eras last May.
Guardiola led Manchester City to 6 English Premier League titles, and the first Champions League title in the club’s history, as part of a total of 20 championships since he took over in 2016.
The 55-year-old Spanish coach lifted the FA Cup and the League Cup in his final season, but left after City lost its dominance over English football, following their failure to win the league title during the last two seasons.
Guardiola admitted that he struggled last season to find the energy needed to lead City's competition with Arsenal, which won the title by 7 points.
The departure of football director Txiki Begiristain in 2025 was also a blow to Guardiola, who said at the time: “Part of me is leaving.”
In conjunction with the continuation of the case related to accusations of alleged financial irregularities, Guardiola found himself facing the task of rebuilding a team that had lost a number of its most prominent pillars in recent years, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Kyle Walker, and Riyad Mahrez.
A heavy task ahead of Mariska
City's rebuilding project, despite huge expenditures, has not yet achieved complete success, which puts Maresca in front of a difficult challenge to succeed one of the most successful coaches in the history of English football.
The Italian coach knows City well, having worked as Guardiola's assistant during the 2022-2023 season, in which the team won the historic treble. But his experience as a head coach is still limited compared to his predecessor, as he spent less than two seasons with Chelsea, in addition to one season with Leicester City, and a short period with the Italian Parma.
About 35 miles away, Liverpool also begins the journey of searching for its new identity without Salah.
The Egyptian star joined the Reds from Roma, for 36 million pounds sterling in 2017, after an experience during which he did not succeed in imposing himself with Chelsea, before he turned at Anfield into one of the club’s greatest players.
Salah scored 257 goals in 442 matches in various competitions, becoming the third best scorer in Liverpool's history, and contributed to leading the team to two titles in the English Premier League, in addition to the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.
But his last season did not reflect his golden years, as Dutch coach Arne Slot excluded him from the squad on several occasions, before Salah accused the club of “abandoning him.”
The dispute between the player and his coach was not completely resolved, as Salah contented himself with scoring 7 goals in the league, while Liverpool finished the season in fifth place, which led to Slot’s dismissal.
Who replaces Salah?
Iraola realizes that replacing a player of Salah's caliber will not be an individual task, and he hopes that Swedish striker Alexander Isak will provide a better level after a first season during which he suffered injuries at Anfield.
The Spanish coach is also counting on newcomer Victor Muñoz and young striker Rio Ngomoha to contribute to filling part of the offensive void left by Salah.
With the start of the new season, attention is turning to the ability of Liverpool and City to build a new identity after the departure of two of their most prominent symbols, in a test that may determine whether the two clubs are able to open a new successful era, or whether the influence of Salah and Guardiola will take a long time to overcome.
