DOKU AT RISK? WHY ANTOINE SEMENYO IS PEP GUARDIOLA’S NEW FAVORITE LEFT WINGER
Antoine Semenyo is pushing for a start! After a 10-1 debut win, will Pep Guardiola pick him over Jeremy Doku against Newcastle?
Honestly, I can’t see Pep Guardiola leaving Antoine Semenyo out of Manchester City’s lineup for Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle. Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany pretty much said the same thing to Sports Mole—Pep’s going to find it way too tempting after what Semenyo did last weekend.
Semenyo just arrived from Bournemouth for £64 million, and the guy barely had time to unpack before he tore up Exeter City in the FA Cup. He scored, set up another, and grabbed man of the match on his debut. Not a bad way to introduce yourself at the Etihad.
Now, after that 10-1 thrashing, Semenyo’s in the mix to keep his spot when City heads to St. James’ Park to take on the cup holders. McInerney thinks Semenyo will start on the left. And honestly, he figures Jeremy Doku should be a little worried about his place.
“I think Semenyo starts,” McInerney said. “People expect him on the right and Doku to come in, but I actually think Doku’s more at risk than anyone realises. To me, there’s a real possibility that in a couple of months, the starting wingers will be Semenyo and Cherki.”
He broke it down further: Doku’s a top creator; nobody doubts that. He’s electric with the ball, especially in the Premier League. But McInerney rates Cherki even higher as a pure creator—he’s got a different style, but he thinks Cherki has more genius and puts up more chances. Plus, Cherki scores more than Doku, even though he doesn’t always play out wide.
And then there’s Semenyo. As a goalscorer, he’s ahead of both. If you want one creator and one finisher, McInerney would go for Cherki and Semenyo. He says there’s a precision and simplicity to Semenyo’s game that could really appeal to Guardiola, especially on the left.
But he’s not ruling out Doku and Semenyo both starting on the wings, with Foden slotting in behind Haaland and Cherki dropping to the bench. It’s not obvious who Pep will pick. McInerney keeps coming back to the idea that Doku isn’t as safe as people think.
“He needs to be more direct,” McInerney said about Doku. “He’s brilliant, but sometimes he does a lot to achieve a little. It’s not a knock—his style is busy and effective. But he’s not a high-volume goals or assists guy. He creates a lot of half-chances and carries the ball brilliantly. But Semenyo does that too, and he scores far more. Honestly, I don’t think Doku’s spot is safe. I’d say Semenyo starts.”
That said, McInerney wouldn’t be shocked if both Semenyo and Doku get the nod against Newcastle, with Foden in the middle and Cherki sitting out. “I can see Cherki missing out, especially since it’s Newcastle,” he said. “Cherki’s been brilliant, but lately he’s looked a bit sloppy, and I reckon Guardiola might want to rest him, play Foden at 10, and start Semenyo on the right and Doku on the left.”
Looking ahead to the game itself, McInerney expects fireworks. “Neither side is going to keep it tight, let’s be honest. The city’s defence is shaky right now. Alleyne and Khusanov have done well, but this is Newcastle at St. James’ Park in a semi-final. There’s no way this ends 0-0. I’d take a goalless draw, but I just can’t see it. Honestly, it could turn into a classic—loads of goals, pure entertainment. I just hope City doesn’t lose. If they avoid defeat, that’s a decent result, especially with tired players and a patched-up backline.”
MANCHESTER CITY CONDEMN RACIST ABUSE OF STARS SEMENYO AND GUEHI
Following swift stadium action, Manchester City pledge full support to Semenyo and Guéhi amid shocking discriminatory abuse.
Manchester City didn’t hold back after Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi faced racist abuse during and after their wild 3-3 draw with Everton. The game itself was a rollercoaster; City managed to scrape a point thanks to Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku, who nailed a jaw-dropping equaliser in the 96th minute.
Doku actually got City off to a great start, putting them up before halftime. But Everton flipped the script after the break, scoring three and having everyone on edge with ten minutes left. City defender Guehi made a costly error on Everton’s first goal, his misjudged back pass handing the ball to Thierno Barry, who didn’t think twice about putting it away.
Since then, City put out a statement confirming that Guehi was targeted with disgusting racist messages online, while Semenyo, who played most of the match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, endured abuse in the stadium itself. City’s statement was straightforward: they’re outraged by the abuse and thanked Everton and the police for acting fast to identify the person responsible. They made it clear they're sticking by Guehi and Semenyo and won’t tolerate discrimination in football.
Right after the game, Guehi posted on social media, owning up to his mistake but keeping his head up. He thanked City fans and leaned on his faith, writing, “I need to do better, but we keep going & focused on the next. Thank you for your support as always! Thank you, Jesus!”
Racism in football keeps getting worse, on and off the pitch, and there’s a growing call for authorities to actually step up and fight discriminatory abuse wherever it shows up.
Both Guehi and Semenyo have made an immediate impact at City. Guehi came from Crystal Palace in January for £20 million, fitting right into Guardiola’s defence and looking sharp until Monday’s mishap. He’s already played 16 times for City. Semenyo arrived from Bournemouth for £64 million, has 22 appearances, and has made himself a regular threat, scoring eight goals with three assists, moving smoothly between central and wide positions.
They’re both expected to be in the lineup when City faces Brentford at home on Saturday as Guardiola’s team hangs onto their faint hopes of defending the title.
PEP GUARDIOLA REFUSES TO GUARANTEE RODRI’S RETURN FOR MONDAY’S PREMIER LEAGUE CLASH
Pep Guardiola provides the latest injury news on Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol ahead of a crucial title race clash at Everton.
Pep Guardiola has shared the latest on Manchester City's injury situation ahead of Monday’s Premier League match against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
City is in good form right now. They came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, making it six wins in a row across all competitions.
But they’ve had to do it without Rodri. He's missed their last two matches, including a tight 1-0 win at Burnley, after hurting his groin against Arsenal a couple of weeks back. Guardiola recently told reporters that Rodri is getting better, but the team’s been cautious and isn’t rushing him back.
At his latest press conference on Friday, Guardiola said Rodri still hasn’t returned to training, so they’re just taking it day by day. There's hope, but Guardiola wouldn’t give any guarantees about Rodri’s chances of playing against Everton. "He’s getting better. Still, he didn't train with us, so we’ll see in the next few days,” he said. When pressed about his confidence, Pep just replied, “I am always confident.”
With Rodri still not training, it sounds like a last-minute decision on whether he’ll play. A start against Everton seems unlikely. That probably means Nico González, who scored the winner against Southampton, will keep his spot in midfield next to Bernardo Silva. Maybe Nico O’Reilly slides into central midfield, too, if he isn’t covering at left-back.
It’s not all good news in defence either. Ruben Dias is still out with the ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined for the last six games, and Josko Gvardiol is recovering from the tibial fracture he picked up in January. Both are working their way back, and Guardiola says they’re improving, but there’s no sign of a return just yet.
Turning to the Everton game, City could head into it trailing Arsenal by six points if the Gunners beat Fulham on Saturday. With the title race this tight, City can’t afford to slip up.
Guardiola knows Monday will be tough. “Everton have always been tough,” he said. “Old Everton was so cool and so British, and I loved to go there, but in the new stadium, they are defending really well, and it has always been tough." He’s not taking recent Everton results lightly, adding, 'They're fighting for a place in Europe. We won with two or three actions here, but we were not good at that moment. We can’t have any result but win, win, win.”
Everton won’t be easy, especially away, but City can at least take confidence from their strong record of 17 league games unbeaten against the Toffees. They won the reverse fixture 2-0, with Haaland scoring both goals. Still, Guardiola isn’t expecting it to be straightforward.
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