Antoine Semenyo has explained why he was excited rather than anxious when Enzo Maresca was confirmed as Pep Guardiola’s successor at Manchester City this summer. The Ghana international pointed to the Italian’s meticulous methods and a pre-existing relationship between the pair.
Maresca, who has spent time on the City coaching staff during two previous spells at the club, was appointed in the wake of Guardiola’s decade-long reign coming to an end.
For Semenyo, who joined City from Bournemouth in January, the switch carried none of the uncertainty that often accompanies a change of manager at a club used to sustained success.
A familiar face returns to the Etihad
Semenyo already had a working knowledge of Maresca before his arrival at City, having watched him closely during his days at Chelsea.
That history, he suggested, made the early adjustment period far smoother than it might otherwise have been, with the squad quickly buying into the 46-year-old’s demands on the training pitch.
Speaking as City’s pre-season tour of Asia got under way, Semenyo detailed what has struck him most since Maresca took charge, according to BBC Sport.
Semenyo said: “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.
“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.
“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.
‘Quite similar to Pep’ – the comparison that matters
Central to Semenyo’s enthusiasm is the parallel he draws between Maresca and Guardiola. Rather than viewing the changeover as a departure from what has made City the dominant force in English football, the forward sees continuity. He sees a coach whose obsessive standards mirror those of his predecessor, even if the personalities and specific ideas differ.
Maresca himself has been careful not to present his methods as a straight replica of Guardiola’s, insisting since taking over that he intends to build his own identity at the club rather than simply continue where his predecessor left off.
But for players like Semenyo, the underlying culture of precision and relentless improvement appears unchanged, which has eased what could have been a difficult transition following such a successful era.
“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,” he said.
Maresca takes his first competitive games in charge on City’s pre-season tour, which continues with fixtures against a K League All Stars side and Atletico Madrid in South Korea before the squad returns for the Community Shield and the start of the new Premier League campaign.
Reflecting on the reception the squad received on landing in Asia, Semenyo also touched on the scale of the club’s global following, saying the welcome in Hong Kong underlined the size of the challenge and the platform now in front of Maresca’s group.
The early signs, by Semenyo’s account, are encouraging. Players have had to adapt to a demanding pre-season regime, but the forward suggested the adjustment has been made easier.
