Enzo Maresca got his first victory as head coach of Manchester City when he defeated K-League All Stars 3-1 in Seoul.
All 4 goals were scored in the first 23 minutes of the match, helping Man City quickly regain their spirits after the penalty shootout defeat against Inter Milan. Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Divin Mubama were the scorers for The Citizens. Notably, Maresca used up to 22 players in this match.
Maresca's tactical imprint
Right from the first matches, Maresca showed that he did not simply copy Pep Guardiola's philosophy. Rico Lewis started in the right-back position but often pressed into the center when Man City controlled the ball, supporting the midfield pair Mateo Kovacic and Tijjani Reijnders.
This helps Man City operate with a three-man defense consisting of Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov and Ruben Dias when developing the ball.
On both wings, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Antoine Semenyo played very high and wide. This arrangement quickly worked when Ait-Nouri opened the score in the 9th minute after a push from the left flank.
Meanwhile, Phil Foden was given the number 10 role behind striker Divin Mubama, who continued to score after scoring in the previous 2 friendly matches.
Reijnders affirms value
In the context that Nottingham Forest is said to be ready to spend 55 million pounds to recruit Tijjani Reijnders, the performance in Seoul further shows why Man City is unlikely to let him leave.
The Dutch midfielder continuously created a difference with sprints from the second line and his skillful ball handling ability. Reijnders assisted Ait-Nouri to open the score, before scoring himself with a dangerous finish after Semenyo's delicate pass.
Next season, the 28-year-old player will have to compete fiercely in midfield, especially when Elliot Anderson just arrived at Etihad for a fee of 116 million pounds after the 2026 World Cup.
However, if he continues to maintain his form like before the K-League All Stars, Reijnders can completely play an important role in Maresca's plan.
Semenyo stands out in attack
Although not scoring, Antoine Semenyo is still Man City's most outstanding player. The speed and abundant energy of the Ghana international make the K-League All Stars defense very difficult.
Semenyo assisted Reijnders to score, then continued to contribute to Mubama's goal when his finish was blocked by the goalkeeper, creating conditions for the young striker to easily volley.
Semenyo left the field in the second half to make way for Savinho, but the Brazilian player did not leave as much of an impression as his senior. After joining Man City in January, Semenyo made a strong impression in the second half of last season and is likely to continue to play an important role under Maresca.
Weaknesses need to be overcome soon
Despite winning, Man City still revealed a worrying problem. Maresca's team let the opponent equalize just 3 minutes after Ait-Nouri opened the score. This is the second consecutive match Man City has conceded a goal right after scoring, after a similar scenario in the confrontation with Inter Milan.
Notably, both goals conceded came from Man City's right flank. If Benjamin Pavard took advantage of the space created by Federico Dimarco to score for Inter, this time Dae-Won Kim also exploited the same space before finishing to defeat Gianluigi Donnarumma in the near corner.
