By Kwame Bediako
Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo believes new manager Enzo Maresca’s attack-minded philosophy is the perfect fit for his style of play following an encouraging start under the Italian coach. The 26-year-old has impressed in City’s pre-season match against Inter Milan in Hong Kong, where his pace and direct running caused problems before he helped create Divine Mukasa’s goal in Maresca’s first game in charge.
Freedom to take on defenders in one-v-ones
Semenyo revealed that Maresca’s tactical approach immediately caught his attention when the manager was appointed, recalling how wide players were used under him at Chelsea. “When he got appointed, that was the first thing I thought about because when you’ve played Chelsea previously when he was there, his wide men were always high and quite free,” he said.
One-v-one situations excite him most
The Ghana international is particularly excited by the freedom being given to City’s wingers to attack full-backs in one-v-one situations. “So that was one of the things that excited me the most when he got appointed and it’s exciting for me as a winger. I get to have one-v-one situations most of the game and I am looking forward to it,” Semenyo said.
Individual meetings and clear instructions
Semenyo disclosed that Maresca has already held individual meetings with players to explain his tactical ideas and expectations. “I have had individual meetings with him on how he wants to set up, how he wants to play his wide men and just overall as a team,” he added, describing the manager’s instructions as refreshingly simple.
Similarities to Guardiola, but with more licence
The former Bournemouth forward believes Maresca’s philosophy shares similarities with Pep Guardiola’s, while giving attacking players greater licence to express themselves. “I think his ideas are great, quite similar to Pep, but if you watched the Inter game, you would have seen a couple of his ideas play out and it was good. Enzo is just [stay] out wide and when you get the ball, just create opportunities. So it is music to my ears,” Semenyo said.
