Antoine Semenyo Says New Manchester City Coach Enzo Maresca’s Tactics Mirror Pep Guardiola’s Style

Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo believes the tactical approach of newly appointed head coach Enzo Maresca bears a strong resemblance to that of former manager Pep Guardiola.

Maresca took charge of his first City match in Hong Kong, where the former Premier League champions lost on penalties to Inter Milan after an encouraging display that highlighted the attacking philosophy he intends to implement.

Semenyo started the game and caused constant problems for Inter full‑back Andy Diouf with his pace and direct running. The Ghana international also played a key role=”Semenyo started the match and constantly troubled Inter full‑up that led to Divin Mubama’s goal before being withdrawn.

Young substitute Ryan McAidoo also impressed, prompting Maresca to describe both players as the type of wingers he enjoys working with because of their willingness to attack defenders in one‑on‑one situations.

Reflecting on the new manager’s arrival, Semenyo said he was immediately encouraged by Maresca’s tactical ideas.

“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,” Semenyo said.

“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.”

“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 joined Manchester City from Bournemouth during the January transfer window and helped the club lift both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup last season.

The 26‑year‑old also represented Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Black Stars reached the round of 32.