Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes himself to be a genius after picking Phil Foden against Tottenham, as the teenager scored the only goal of the game to send City back to the top of the Premier League table.
Guardiola came under some criticism as City were dumped out of the Champions League by Spurs earlier in the week, specifically for deploying Fabian Delph in the contest.
However, his side have bounced back and picked up a key three points in the Premier League title race as they move back ahead of Liverpool, with 18-year-old Foden netting for the first time in the competition.
The Spaniard reacted to the changing perceptions of his tactics, now declaring his brilliance after the Foden selection.
‘Now I am a genius,’ said Guardiola. ‘He [Foden] scored a goal, how good is the manager? Then, after playing Delph in London, it is a disaster,’ Guardiola told reporters.
‘Phil is an incredibly talented player and we have to pick him in the right moment. He has the quality to arrive in the box.
‘Every time he plays he scores a goal or has chances. His ability in small spaces, it is not easy to play against [Eric] Dier or [Victor] Wanyama or [Christian] Eriksen.
‘It is an incredible experience for him to play and I trust him a lot.’
It was put to Pep that Foden may have earned himself a spot in the starting XI for Wednesday’s Manchester derby.
Kevin De Bruyne limped out of the contest with Spurs and is very unlikely to be ready for the trip to Old Trafford, leaving the door open to Foden.
‘Maybe Kevin is not there, so we will see,’ continued Guardiola. ‘I didn’t spend one second to think about the match at Old Trafford.
‘I need to enjoy today and rest a bit and then watch as many games as possible from United.’
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