Antoine Semenyo says adapting to life under Pep Guardiola has been one of the most demanding yet rewarding challenges of his career, as the forward continues to settle into the intense environment of a trophy-chasing City side.
With expectations at the club centred on winning as many titles as possible, Semenyo was immediately tasked with hitting the ground running after his arrival — a challenge made even tougher under a manager widely regarded for his tactical detail and high standards.
The winger admits that working with Guardiola has already transformed the way he sees the game.
“He’s a genius, to be honest,” Semenyo said. “He’s got so many ideas and as a player, I’ve had to think about so many things I would never normally think about.”
Rather than focusing only on pace or direct attacking play, Semenyo revealed that Guardiola has encouraged him to become more unpredictable and intelligent in his movement, even down to the simplest decisions on the pitch.
“The first thing he said to me was, ‘you’re fast, right?’” Semenyo recalled. “I said yeah and he asked why I go fast every time and told me to slow down to speed up.”
The advice, he explained, was about learning to vary his rhythm so defenders cannot anticipate his next move.
“It’s a different approach against full-backs that expect you to go fast every time,” he said. “It’s little things like that take your game to the next level.”
Semenyo’s seamless adaptation has been key to his strong start at the club, as he continues to build chemistry within a squad competing on multiple fronts and pushing for more silverware.
For the winger, the learning process under Guardiola is as valuable as the trophies themselves — with every detail designed to refine his game and elevate his impact at the highest level.
