Manchester City took a trip to Seoul, South Korea following their pre-season opener vs. Inter Milan in Hong Kong last Saturday. Man City asserted early dominance, scoring all three of their goals in the opening 23 minutes.
Once again, it was an impressive performance from Antoine Semenyo, but this time from the right side of the field. Enzo Maresca has experimented tactically so far in preseason as he looks to find the best system for his new squad. Maresca experimented with a new formation on Wednesday, playing a 3-2-4-1 system that was very popular during Man City’s treble season, when Maresca served as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola.
The European giants dictated the play in the opening minutes, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring just nine minutes in. The Algerian full-back played in a more advanced role today as he’s impressed on the left in place of Nico O’Reilly, who is resting from the World Cup. The K-League All Stars responded quickly with a goal just three minutes later from Kim Dae-Won.
The score did not stay level for long, with Tijjani Reijnders scoring in the 20th minute, set up by a wonderful Semenyo flick. The Dutch midfielder has been linked to a move away from Manchester this summer. His performance today could convince Maresca to veto a summer exit.
Divin Mubama scored City’s third of the day in the 23rd minute, scoring in his second straight game after hitting the back of the net against Inter Milan.
Next up for Man City: Their final preseason match vs. Atletico Madrid on Sunday
