Pep Guardiola has praised Fernandinho and Rodrigo after their defensive performance in the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
With Nicolas Otamendi missing out after sustaining a knock during international duty with Argentina and John Stones only just returning from injury, Guardiola paired the midfielders at centre-back, a combination which has not been seen before.
The duo put in an impressive display and dealt with Crystal Palace’s danger expertly throughout the encounter and Guardiola was impressed with what he saw.
“We know the situation we have,” he said,
“It’s a long season so we’ll have to use alternatives.
“Thank you so much to both of them because it’s not easy playing in different positions against players like Zaha and Ayew. They did really well. Really well.”
Watch the video above to see what else the boss had to say.
