Foden hails Guardiola for tactical switch: "He's a genius isn't he?"

Pep Guardiola was lauded as a "genius" by Phil Foden before Manchester City's crucial

meeting with Atletico Madrid, after guiding his club to a 1-0 first-leg victory last week. 

Just 79 seconds after being brought as a sub at the Etihad, the 21-year-old delivered the assist for Kevin De Bruyne's 70th-minute goal, giving City a narrow edge heading into the second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano. 

Foden's lovely pass to De Bruyne was his seventh Champions League assist, with only Cesc Fabregas (10) having ever assisted more goals for English clubs in the competition when they were 21 or younger.

Looking back on a first leg in which the 

 had to be patient after tallying 15 shots to Atletico's zero, Foden hailed his boss as a "genius" for putting him in a more central area when he arrived. 

"It was very frustrating [watching from the bench]," Foden told the club's official media channels. "It looked like there was no space and we were struggling to create clear-cut chances like we usually do.

"It's hard coming off the bench trying to make an impact because you're coming into such an intense game. 

"He [Guardiola] kind of changed the shape a little bit, and played me more inside.

"He's a genius isn't he?

"I knew when I got the ball it was very tight. As I turned, I saw Kev run off his man and it was just instinct that I managed to play the ball through.

"When I made an impact I was obviously very happy, and was just delighted we had broken them down to take a good result back to their place."

City's journey to Madrid will be their 100th Champions League encounter, and their 55 victories in their first 99 appearances in the competition are already the most by an English team in their first century of Champions League games. Only Real Madrid has amassed more, with 57.

In the meantime, according to Opta statistics, the side with the fewest efforts on goal in two legs of a Champions League knockout tie is Shakhtar Donetsk versus Bayern Munich in 2014-15, a record that Atletico might challenge after failing to make a single shot at the Etihad. 

Foden, on the other hand, reckons Diego Simeone's side will ultimately have to abandon their defending structure in order to assault the

toppers, and he feels his team will be able to take advantage of any gaps they may create. 

"I think it’s going to be a similar game," Foden added. "Maybe, if the result stays the same, they are going to have to come a bit more aggressively out of the space and try and attack the channels a little bit more.

"If they come at us, we know we have got that footballing side that we can show as well."

City has only won three of their previous 11 away matches against Spanish oppositions, drawing one and losing seven, despite the fact that the second-leg trip to Atletico will be the club's first in Europe.

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