Manchester City have assembled an expert coaching staff alongside manager Pep Guardiola at Etihad Stadium. So, who features in their backroom team at one of England’s most successful football clubs?
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Guardiola agreed to replace Manuel Pellegrini as the manager of Manchester City in February 2016. He left Bayern Munich after three years to take charge at Etihad Stadium from July 2016 on an initial contract until June 2019.
The Citizens have since extended the Spaniard’s contract up to June 2025 and the 2024/25 season could be Guardiola’s last at City.
The tactical genius has also overseen a dominant part of Manchester City’s club history with a raft of trophies. Guardiola has added six Premier League titles, four EFL Cups and two FA Cups to Manchester City’s trophy history as the club’s manager. He also led them to the Champions League glory in 2023 as they won the treble.
Director of Football: Hugo Viana
Hugo Viana has took over the retiring Txiki Begiristain as City’s Director of Football in 2025.
Viana is a former footballer who made over 300 appearances during his career for clubs like Newcastle United, Sporting, Valencia and Braga as well as internationally for Portugal.
After retiring in 2016, Viana entered the world of football administration at Belenenses but shortly returned to Sporting to take up the position in Lisbon. The Portuguese giants won their first league titles in 20 years with him at the helm.
After working alongside Begiristain for the first two months of his tenure, Viana is now the man in charge of football operations at City.
Head of player support and protocol: Manel Estiarte
Manel Estiarte, a former water polo player who won gold at the 1996 Olympics, has a unique role at City but he is a crucial member of Guardiola’s team. providing helpful advice, feedback and support to the manager.
The pair are long-time friends and Guardiola once said on the importance of Estiarte’s presence: : “Managers are very, very alone. It is good for me to have him here.”
Manchester City coaching staff
Assistant coach: Carlos Vicens
Carlos Vicens has been in Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City as one of his assistants since July 2021. The Spaniard stepped up from his previous role as the manager of the Citizens’ U18 team after one year. He was previously Gareth Taylor’s assistant with the club’s U18 squad from July 2018.
The Citizens initially hired Vicens in August 2017 to work as a coach for Manchester City’s academy. He had worked in youth coaching with various clubs since 2010, including as the director of youth at Santanyi from 2013 to 2016 and Llosetense from 2015 to 2017. He also won the 2020 FA Youth Cup.
Assistant coach: Pep Lijnders
After Juanma Lillo brought his second stint at City to an end in 2025, Guardiola made the surprising decision to bring in Pep Lijnders as his new assistant.
Lijnders is best known for his stint as Jurgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool and helped the Reds beat City to the Premier League title in 2020.
After a failed spell as manager at RB Salzburg, Lijnders has returned to an assistant role alongside a fellow Pep.
First-team coach: Inigo Dominguez
Inigo Dominguez has been Lillo’s right-hand man for a lot of his coaching career, having been his assistant at Almeria, Sevilla, Nacional, Vissel Kobe, Marseille and Al-Saad. He’s also had two spells working alongside Jorge Sampaoli at Millonarios and Huanghai.
When Lillo returned to City in 2023, he brought Dominguez with him.
Fitness coach: Lorenzo Buenaventura
Having worked with Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Lorenzo Buenaventura is an absolutely vital cog in the relentless trophy-winning machine.
Buenaventura is responsible for the team’s and individual players’ fitness programmes and ensures the players stay fresh despite playing a high-octane style over a gruelling campaign.
Goalkeeping coach: Xabier Mancisidor
Xabier Mancisidor has been Manchester City’s goalkeeping coach since July 2013 after joining under Pellegri. The Chilean brought the Spaniard with him to Etihad Stadium having worked together with Malaga from January 2011. He also worked with Pellegrini at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2010.
Goalkeeping coach: Richard Wright
Guardiola added Richard Wright to the goalkeeper coaches among Manchester City’s backroom staff in July 2018. The Spaniard promoted the Ipswich native to the position following two years with their academy. Wright accepted a backroom role with the Citizens after retiring from playing in July 2016.
The Englishman spent the final four years of his career providing depth at Etihad Stadium but never made an appearance. Wright joined Manchester City following a third spell with his hometown side, Ipswich Town. He also enjoyed spells at Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Sheffield United as a player.
Chief analyst: Harry Dunn
Manchester City promoted Harry Dunn to the role of chief analyst in October 2022 after eight years as a match analyst. He joined the Citizens after three years as Scunthorpe United’s chief analyst and also previously worked for Darlington. The Englishman now oversees a small team at Etihad Stadium.
Performance Analysis Coach: Carles Planchart
Dunn works with the other analysts in Manchester City’s coaching staff including video analyst Carles Planchart and match analyst Ryan DeFreitas. Planchart joined the Citizens from Bayern Munich when Guardiola changed clubs in 2016. He also worked with the Spaniard at Barcelona from 2008 to 2012.
Match analyst: Ryan DeFreitas
De Freitas joined Manchester City’s coaching staff in September 2022 after six years in various roles at Leicester City. He had initially joined the Foxes as their assistant youth manager in July 2016. He later became the East Midlands outfit’s U18 video analyst and then U21 match analyst in the following years.
Club doctor: Edu Mauri
Manchester City appointed Edu Mauri as their club doctor in September 2016. He was previously the head of medical at Espanyol from 1997 to 2008, the Qatar national team from 2008 to 2012 and with KAS Eupen from 2012 to 2016. The Spaniard also played with Espanyol from 1982 through until 1988.
Alongside club doctor Mauri in the medical department at Manchester City are their physiotherapist Federico Genovesi, sports scientist Francesc Cos and masseur Mark Sertori. While James Baldwin has been the club’s head of physiotherapy since February 2019 and has worked with the club since 2009.
