How Antoine Semenyo will fit into Pep Guardiola’s Man City system explained – where will he play?
This season, we’ve seen Pep Guardiola reinvent Manchester City yet again. That much is clear. What is less clear, and far more interesting, is how Antoine Semenyo fits into the latest iteration of his side.
City’s move towards a narrow 4-3-2-1 (or the Christmas tree shape) has reshaped their attacking dynamics.
It has brought control, fluidity and unpredictability in central areas, while still finding ways to stretch the pitch with the full-backs.
Signing Semenyo feels less like a market opportunity and more like a deliberate attempt to push that system another step forward.
Pep Guardiola’s New Man City Tactics Explained
Pep’s tactical idea in recent months has leaned heavily on central overloads.
With Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Jeremy Doku operating close together behind Erling Haaland, City are playing with more bodies between the lines than at any point under Guardiola.
The idea is simple on paper but teams are struggling to negate it. By clustering so many technically elite players in tight spaces, City manipulate opposition defences until something gives.
Defenders are dragged narrow. Midfields are overloaded. Passing angles multiply.
The width, crucially, now comes later. Full-backs Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes provide it with underlaps and overlaps, allowing City to attack from multiple angles rather than relying on traditional wingers holding touchlines.
It has made City harder to press, harder to counter and, for a stretch, almost impossible to control – hence the long unbeaten run before recent draws slowed momentum.
Why Man City Want Semenyo
Viewed through that lens, Semenyo’s profile makes immediate sense.
Tipped to take Yaya Toure’s iconic No. 42 shirt, Semenyo isn’t joining Man City to be on the periphery.
He is such a well-rounded, complete forward, ranking highly across shooting volume, conversion rate, take-ons, chance creation and ball recoveries in the attacking third.
Add his aerial strength and physical presence, and he offers Guardiola something City have lacked outside Haaland.
Semenyo has scored 10 league goals in 19 games for Bournemouth this season, largely operating from the left. Those numbers are great, but the manner of them is what has really attracted interest.
He is two-footed, direct, powerful and relentless in the dribble. His ability to receive wide, drive inside and finish under pressure gives City an alternative route to goal when the central combinations stall.
That blend of intent and efficiency is rare, and it’s exactly what this City side has occasionally missed, despite the improvement in Jeremy Doku.
Where Will Semenyo Play at Manchester City?
The obvious question is where Semenyo actually fits.
In the short term, he’s unlikely to walk straight into the starting XI. Guardiola has never rushed in new signings, and Doku remains first choice on the left when fit.
Cherki, meanwhile, has made the right-sided interior role his own.
The full-back roles are settled, and Semenyo is not being signed to become Pep’s next positional experiment, as tempting as that idea might be.
Instead, his minutes are likely to come across multiple roles. He can operate wide during certain phases of play, particularly when City rotate and reset attacks.
More intriguingly, he offers Guardiola a genuine central option who doesn’t need a complete tactical rewrite.
Can Semenyo Play as a Striker for Man City?
This is where the move becomes particularly interesting.
Man City’s over-reliance on Haaland is a known problem. When he is injured or simply needs a rest, the drop-off is stark.
Semenyo is not Haaland, obviously, but he doesn’t need to be.
He has the hulkish frame, strength and back-to-goal ability to function centrally. He is also comfortable receiving between the lines, turning defenders or drawing fouls.
Plus, his aerial prowess allows City to go long from goal-kicks, a route Guardiola increasingly embraces to bypass high presses.
Semenyo’s experience in Bournemouth’s more direct system means those moments won’t feel alien to him.
He already understands how to attack space early, how to generate separation before contact, and how to win first balls rather than merely contest them.
That makes him a viable alternative to Haaland, not just a deputy – someone who can start centrally against specific opponents or close games with physical authority.
How Often Will Semenyo Play Under Pep?
This won’t be a case of sporadic cameos for Semenyo.
Capable of playing on either flank, or even centrally, his versatility makes him incredibly useful as a rotation option and in games where City want more physicality across the pitch.
He will not replace Haaland. But he will reduce the dependence on him – and that alone guarantees minutes.
There is also the added bonus of Semenyo’s defensive work. His pressing intensity, honed under Andoni Iraola, fits Guardiola’s demands perfectly.
FBref: Antoine Semenyo’s defensive statistics compared to positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Champions League, and Europa League. Based on 3345 minutes played.
He hunts intelligently, blocks passing lanes and wins the ball high – something Pep will be salivating over, no doubt.
Why Semenyo Completes Pep’s Latest Evolution
Perhaps the most telling detail is that Semenyo doesn’t force City to change. He improves what they already are.
He adds verticality to a system heavy on combination play. He adds physicality as well as being technically proficient. He adds aerial presence to a side that increasingly uses direct passes as a press-beating tool.
Even his long throws, a small detail but a revealing one, speak to Premier League sides’ growing interest in marginal gains around set-pieces.
As for Bournemouth, they’re targeting an Ethan Nwaneri loan to replace Semenyo.
Whether Semenyo ultimately thrives in Guardiola’s narrow system remains to be seen. But as City continue to evolve, this feels like a signing designed not just for depth — but for the next version of Pep’s Manchester City.
