Antoine Semenyo thrilled by Enzo Maresca's attacking philosophy at Manchester City: “It’s music to my ears”
Ghana international Antoine Semenyo says Manchester City's new tactical approach under Enzo Maresca perfectly suits his class of play, describing the Italian coach's instructions to his wingers as "music to my ears."
Maresca took charge of his first match as City manager in a pre-season clash against Inter Milan in Hong Kong.
Although the Premier League champions were beaten in a penalty shootout, the performance offered an early glimpse of the attacking philosophy the former Chelsea boss intends to implement following his appointment as Pep Guardiola's successor.
Semenyo started the encounter and impressed during his 45-minute outing, using his pace and direct running to trouble Inter full-back Andy Diouf throughout the first half. The Ghanaian forward was also instrumental in City's opening goal, providing the assist for Divine Mukasa.
Another standout performer was substitute Ryan McAidoo, whose lively display earned praise from Maresca. The City boss highlighted both players as the type of wide attackers he wants in his team, describing them as aggressive wingers who thrive in one-on-one situations.
Speaking after the match, Semenyo revealed that Maresca's tactical plans immediately appealed to him when the Italian was appointed.
"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.
The 26-year-old also disclosed that he has already held one-on-one discussions with Maresca to better understand his responsibilities within the new system.
"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.
Semenyo believes Maresca's philosophy shares similarities with Guardiola's approach while introducing fresh attacking ideas that will benefit City's wide players.
"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."
The early signs suggest Semenyo could play a key role in Maresca's new-look Manchester City side, with the Ghana international expected to thrive in a system designed to maximise the influence of attacking wingers.