Manchester City learned little from their first outing under Enzo Maresca, a friendly against Inter in Hong Kong. A young squad, made up of senior players who missed the World Cup or whose nations failed to qualify, focused on regaining match sharpness in front of a sizeable crowd.
While Maresca kept his attention on the group in front of him, supporters were more concerned with transfer business. Reinforcements are needed quickly, and doubts over Rodri loom as large as Real Madrid tower over most teams.
Seven Players Missing Until Community Shield
New signing Elliot Anderson, a club-record £116m arrival, is among seven players who will not appear until at least the Community Shield as they recover from World Cup duty. The other six are Marc Guehi, Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Nico O'Reilly, Jeremy Doku and Rodri - arguably seven of the best starting XI arriving undercooked for the new season.
Semenyo's Encouraging Display
The clearest positive from the Inter friendly was Antoine Semenyo. The winger looked dangerous whenever he had the ball in the first half and created the opening goal with jinking play from the left forward position. Had it been his debut after a summer move, he would have earned rave reviews.
Instead, Semenyo arrived in January for £64m precisely to hit the ground running six months early. A young City fan in Hong Kong said Semenyo is already his favourite player for the way he lifted the Blues, particularly in the two cups the team went on to win. The instant impact was a bonus; the signing was always intended as a long-term investment.
Work Still To Do
Semenyo and Guehi are useful additions, but they cannot mask the work remaining in this transfer window. Yet the groundwork laid in January could help City start the season better than they otherwise might have. Like the Inter game, it is a start.
