Congratulations to Manchester City on becoming the third team from the UK to secure a treble including the European Cup/Champions League.
Of course, the first team to do so were Celtic, who completed a quadruple, also against Inter Milan (or a quintuple, if you include the Glasgow Cup).
The match was a tight, tactical affair, with City winning, 1-0, in contrast to the thrashing many pundits were expecting but Celtic fans had an additional interest due to the involvement of Enzo Maresca, currently hotly tipped as a potential successor to Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.
Maresca, a former midfielder with a playing career, in Italy, Spain, England and Greece, has been catching the eye in the coaching world, with Pep Guardiola the most notable admirer. Maresca's journey in football has seen him play for clubs such as West Bromwich Albion, Sevilla and Juventus, coming on as a late substitute in the famous 4-3 Champions League game at Celtic Park.
After transitioning into coaching, Maresca joined Pep Guardiola's Manchester City backroom staff in July 2022, after coaching the Elite Development Squad to their first-ever Premier League 2 title 2021. That link will surely be of interest to the Celtic board as they seek a manager who can deliver success through player development, rather than the chequebook.
The similarities between Guardiola's and Postecoglou's styles should make for a smooth potential transition to Celtic and there are also obvious parallels with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Additionally, he would bring elite level performance coaching experience, which should now be a standard qualification for any Celtic Head Coach.
If many are uncomfortable giving the job to someone with no managerial success (his brief spell with Parma ended controversially), it's worth noting that the Celtic manager role has often been a platform for less experienced, but highly promising managers.
Neil Lennon had no coaching experience before first being appointed Celtic manager. Similarly, Ronny Deila – who, like Maresca and Ange Postecoglou, was also nurtured by the City Football Group stable – had only coached with smaller clubs in Norway.
It's also worth remembering that the highest level of coaching includes strong focus on the psychological aspects of the game, which Maresca will certainly be well-versed in, if he has, so far, had few opportunities to lead a top-level group.
While Celtic have a host of interesting candidates, the prospect of Maresca taking the reins at Celtic is an intriguing one.
No appointment is without risk, of course, the “safest” option remaining Brendan Rodgers. Maresca, though, seems to have as strong credentials as it's possible to get, in the absence of a track record of managerial success.
Then again, as the Chinese proverb goes: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
*This article was updated to include the result of the Champions League final.
