Enzo Maresca began his reign as Manchester City manager with a 3-1 pre-season victory over the K-League All Stars in Seoul, just four days after City fell to Inter Milan on penalties.

All four goals arrived inside the first 23 minutes, with Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Divin Mubama all on the scoresheet for City, who called upon 22 players across the 90 minutes.

Maresca's tactical blueprint

Maresca insisted last month that he would not be a "copy and paste" replacement for Pep Guardiola — and his setup in Seoul backed that claim. Rico Lewis operated at right-back but tucked infield when City had possession, effectively forming a three-man defensive line alongside Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Ruben Dias.

That freed Ait-Nouri and Antoine Semenyo to push high and wide as attacking wingers. The system paid dividends straight away, with Ait-Nouri curling home the opener from the left in the 9th minute. Phil Foden was deployed in a free No 10 role, playing behind striker Mubama.

Reijnders turns heads amid Forest links

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Nottingham Forest were considering a £55 million bid for Reijnders, but the Netherlands international did everything in his power to render that speculation irrelevant.

The former AC Milan midfielder drove forward with purpose throughout his time on the pitch, combining technical precision with energy to help City dominate. He laid on a clever assist for Ait-Nouri's opener before restoring City's lead with a composed low finish, converting Semenyo's inventive backheel assist.

At 28, Reijnders faces serious competition for a midfield berth next season — not least from Elliot Anderson, who joined City in a £116 million deal but missed the Asia tour following his World Cup commitments with England. Still, a performance of this quality will give City serious pause before entertaining any offers for him.

Semenyo's outstanding display

Ghana winger Semenyo did not register a goal, but he was unquestionably City's standout performer in Seoul. He tormented the hosts' defence throughout the first half, producing the backheel that led to Reijnders' goal and forcing the save that Mubama converted on the rebound.

Semenyo was substituted at half-time, replaced by Savinho, who struggled to match the intensity his predecessor had set. The former Bournemouth attacker made a strong impression in the second half of last season after arriving in January, and early signs suggest he could thrive under Maresca's system this campaign.

Defensive lapses remain a concern

Maresca will not have been pleased to concede an equaliser just three minutes after Ait-Nouri's opener. That is the second consecutive pre-season match in which City have switched off moments after scoring — Inter Milan levelled within six minutes of Mubama's opener on Saturday.

On both occasions, the danger came from City's right side. Against Inter Milan, Federico Dimarco found space inside the box before Benjamin Pavard finished. In Seoul, Dae-Won Kim cut in from the left and struck an equaliser past Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post — a finish the goalkeeper will feel he should have kept out.

Donnarumma's workload was otherwise minimal on the night, but Maresca will expect a far sterner test when City face Atletico Madrid at the same venue this Sunday.